


Left 2 Die

by MyValentina



Category: As the World Turns
Genre: Alternate Universe - Zombie Apocalypse, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-21
Updated: 2015-04-05
Packaged: 2017-12-27 04:45:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 32,534
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/974498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MyValentina/pseuds/MyValentina
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life has strange ways of putting people in our paths and taking others out, like say a zombie apocalypse. On a perilous cross country journey Luke pairs up with an unlikely accomplice in the search of the only person he has left in his life. But sometimes grief has a tendency of blinding you to things right in front of your face and it might just take a snarky doctor to make Luke realize that.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this story for the 2010 LuRe Big Bang back on the livejournal LuRe community. I kept meaning to revise it a little bit considering I was running towards a deadline. But I loved this world and am working on a sequel for it.
> 
> This story was beta'd by the lovely traciamc

Luke kept his cell phone with him even now.

Even months after the collapse of the modern world he always had his phone in his pocket, pressed tightly against his thigh. He hoped that the bars would return. That some sort of signal would be reestablished, and that he would hear Noah’s voice one more time. It was probably the only thing that kept him trudging along interstates hoping to reach Texas. More than a month after he had made his promise he again patted the cell phone in his pocket like you would a lucky rabbit’s foot. It gave him strength to try and reach the monument he saw in the distance. Luke had seen the St. Louis Arch from far away, but he was reluctant to enter the city. Closed spaces meant your back was to the wall, meant you could get cornered and torn apart. But most of all, the cities had higher concentrations of the Infected. Like bat caves, they would gather around in darkened and abandoned buildings during the day to sleep. But that didn’t mean they were out of commission. If you woke up one it wouldn’t be long before half of the city was up: angry, groggy, and, hungry. No. Cities were dangerous places no matter what time of day it was.

And even if zombies didn't roam around during the day you could easily run into a day walker. They weren’t as fierce as the ones who ran in packs at night so they were called easy targets. Survivors were obligated to shoot them dead on sight, but you could walk straight up to one, or brush past it like if you were brave enough. They would attack only if they felt threatened. Otherwise they would wander around aimlessly looking for god knows what. It was disconcerting to say the least.

Another shot of pain throbbed from his bleeding arm. He dropped to one knee the pain blinding. He tried to tighten the makeshift tourniquet but it was hard enough with one hand, the pain just made it harder to focus. It was midday and he hadn’t seen a soul since he had left the small gun shop that morning, but he wasn’t sure how much longer his luck would hold out. He had to reach a safe haven, before the gunshot wound in his arm killed him or worse yet left him easy prey for those monsters. He had bandaged and disinfected his arm as best he could with alcohol but from the pain he could tell something was wrong. He was on the verge of passing out.Staggering a bit, he finally stood back up. He held his pistol tightly in his right hand, trying not to think of the fever he might be enduring. He began his slow crawl again, navigating the car strewn interstate.

Even after so much time had passed the interstates were still packed with abandoned cars over long stretches, and certainly around cities. Decidedly, it made his journey all the harder and nearly impossible in his current state. In a hazy stupor, he tried thinking of something else, to try and divert the pain and distract from the rotted corpses that stank enough to keep him awake.

The first thing that came to mind as his awkward footsteps made him stumble into a car with a thud, was how much he missed the hum of life. The world had shifted and now the night was full of all sorts of sickening noises, while during the day it all stopped. Everything was either dead quiet or ear popping loud and he hated it. He hated having nothing but his own breathing to listen to for miles and hated hearing the blood soaked breaths of the living dead at night.

But the silence of the day had its advantages. His ears twitched. Something was coming. It couldn’t have been on the elevated interstate so he looked over the edge, to the street-ways that twisted below. Far away on a less crowded service road he saw a motorcycle coming towards him fast. Feeling weak and ready to collapse he used the last bit of his energy to make as much commotion as he could. Waving his good arm and shouting, he tried to gain the person’s attention. The cyclist slowed to a stop. As his vision started to blur he could just make out the man look up, past the glare of the sun, at him. Luke was relieved; he shouted one last unintelligible plea before collapsing back onto asphalt.

The sky was a blurred light, the sun shining directly in his eyes. He tried to turn away from the glare but couldn’t, so he closed his eyes instead, and waited. And waited. And waited. As the pain seemed to engulf and numb him he had begun to accept the death that was eminent. Something blocked the sun. He strained to open his eyes and wished he had just kept them shut as he stared down the barrel of a gun.

A critical voice asked from far above him. “Are you infected?” Luke tried desperately to shake his head, but his body was taking longer to respond to his commands. He tried to speak but only a wispy breath was released for his effort, and instead he only mouthed the word no. But the gun was not removed. He felt the cool tip pressed firmly against his temple and the voice asked, “How do I know you’re not lying?”

Luke wondered if the pain and the heat were finally getting to him because he only felt like rolling his eyes in response to the question. Instead he struggled with a gesture to his arm, “Gunshot...” His voice didn’t sound like his own, and it seemed to have conveyed his predicament because immediately the man put the gun aside. Even without the weapon in his face, Luke could not see the man well. His sight was going dark. He felt a pull at his wounded arm the pain from the un-bandaging was far worse than anything he could remember. That was it. He finally lost consciousness.

* * *

He regained consciousness for small amounts of time before passing out again. In those hazy moments of near-waking he caught glimpses of his rescuer, and their location. It looked like a small apartment, in different states of disarray, from what he could see. Every time he woke up he would see the dirty apartment steadily get cleaner, and a few times he actually saw the man. Vision blurry, all he could see was shaggy and tarnished, rusty hair.

Even though Luke could not coherently string together a thought, the man would speak to him. His voice was comforting. It had been a long while since he'd had company; maybe it was the same for this man. After what felt like the hundredth time he had opened his eyes he remained awake. With help from the sun’s bright rays coming in through the window he could focus on his surroundings. His arm was snugly wrapped in fresh bandages, and the pain was enough to manage.

Raising his head from his resting place on a couch he took a tentative scan of the immediate area. He was alone. He felt his heart constrict painfully. He could be all alone once again. The notion made him feel like the last man on Earth. Shaking his head brusquely he let those emotions fade away. He needed to assess the situation, or at the very least get to a weapon. He found getting to his feet was particularly difficult. Using the coffee table, he positioned his good arm to try and stabilize himself. He was not strong enough though and collapsed.

He got to his knees feeling quite pathetic but not ready to give up. Hauling himself into a standing position, Luke stood still trying to assure he wouldn’t fall. The world spun a bit in front of his eyes but soon that passed, and he felt normal for a fraction of a second. When it passed he was suddenly extremely thirsty. He examined the room again. Everything was completely silent and still. He was probably the only thing alive for miles, and the daylight shined brightly. It was probably close to noon. He took small steps to a sink located in the small kitchenette. There were no cups, only a bowl so he filled it tentatively and drank the refreshing water. He was tired again. It was as if that small walk had taxed his body beyond use. He slowly lowered himself onto the tiled ground and rested against the cabinet. A chill sank deep into his bones. A combination of sitting in the shadow and on a freezing floor seemed to decrease his body temperature rapidly. There was no way he could take care of himself in this state.

He heard the door jiggle open, and heavy footsteps signaled someone’s arrival. His stomach flipped and his heart raced. He did his best to blend back into the tile and cabinets. The footsteps stopped.

The voice he had heard throughout the haze worriedly called, “Mr. Snyder?” The man walked back to the front door and looked out, before Luke called from under the sink. “Over here.” He saw the man come around the island that separated the kitchen and the living room, looking irritated.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing? Are you stupid?” Luke didn’t like being insulted but didn’t protest when he was effortlessly lifted up off the frozen ground.

“I’m sorry. I was thirsty.” The man dropped him onto the couch, but did not remain. He started taking out cans and packages of food from some bags he evidently had brought back to the apartment with him.

“Why didn’t you wait for me to come back?” He quickly found what he had been looking for and handed him a bottle of water. Luke didn’t immediately reach for it. The presence of another human being calmed that irrational feeling of utter loneliness in Luke but he knew better than to completely let his guard down. All strangers were suspect. He searched the man’s face for any kind of insight. Something about him lit up the room, like the brightness in his pale eyes. He finally took the bottle after a couple of tense seconds breaking the awkward silence and deciding, at least for now, to trust the man. He put the bottle between his legs, opening it with his good arm, the other still prickling with pain.

He sighed responding sheepishly. “I didn’t think you would be back.” He took a long drink while silence took over the room.  
The other man slowed his hurried motions among crinkling brown and plastic bags. He looked at Luke, and responded, condescension in his voice, “That’s silly. I saved you didn’t I?” Luke shrugged still drinking the water. Determined to finish it in one go. The man found something else to say to avoid listening to Luke’s gulping. “I would advise you don’t drink the tap water, unless absolutely necessary. And even then boil it. Who knows what’s been treating the water in abandoned treatment plants. The bacteria will most likely cause a fever worse than what you experienced, before killing you.”

Luke put the bottle down on the coffee table where it twirled uneasily before falling empty to its side. Luke’s contended sigh expressed more than any words could how sweet the water had been. It was the sweetest thing he’d had in months. Feeling more like himself he cheekily asked the man, “What are you, a doctor?”

Without missing a beat the man quipped, “My reputation precedes me, I suppose?”

With eyes wide Luke exclaimed, “Wow. That was lucky of me. I happened to collapse in the presence of a doctor.” The man smugly smiled, eyeing him curiously, but didn't say a word. “By the way how do you know my name?”

The man pulled a wallet out of his pocket, Luke’s wallet. “I looked through your stuff.”

Luke frowned as it was chucked back at him. “This is private.” He said, while he looked to see if anything had gone missing.  
The other man chuckled. “So is this apartment and look at us just using it all without the owner’s permission.”

“Yeah well, this place is abandoned.” Luke argued, to which the doctor ominously said, “And so were you.” Luke got a sudden nauseous feeling. It was ridiculous but Luke suddenly felt like the man wasn’t looking at him. Instead maybe he was seeing what Luke was running from.

Luke narrowed his eyes. “Are you saying you’re going to use me?”

The doctor just smiled, before responding, “Maybe,”

Something must have shown on his face because the man continued. “Calm down Mr. Snyder. I did take the Hippocratic Oath.” Luke looked away becoming increasingly nervous, an ugly thought crossing his mind. You knew to shot zombies, but when it came to people it was harder to know if you should pull the trigger. He was suddenly quite aware he was unarmed, and even if he did need to defend himself, he was in no shape to do so now.

“And you are?”

“Dr. Reid Oliver, world renowned neurosurgeon. Not that it matters that much anymore. How are you feeling, by the way?” The man seemed to snap into a more professional mode. He quickly took up Luke’s wrist, shaking his own to get a better view of his watch.

“I’m still a little thirsty.” Luke said, wanting to yank his hand away.

“You’re shivering slightly.” Reid stated and dropped the hand, moving hurriedly behind the couch. He produced a musty cover from somewhere and dropped it onto Luke. Moving back to the bags he produced another water bottle. Tossing it onto the couch, he continued digging around, soon taking out a thermometer. Pouring something onto it, he shook it and popped it abruptly into Luke’s mouth. He gave Luke a critical look, and questioned, “Anything else?”

“I’m a little weak.”

“That’s normal.” He nodded turning away to finish taking things out of bags. Luke expected for him to continue talking, but after a couple of minutes had passed, it seemed the doctor was done. Luke was about to say something when the thermometer beeped and the doctor quickly took it, without even a look towards his patient.  
“Hmm,” He put it back in his bag, before returning to what he was doing on the coffee table.

“What is it?” Luke said.

“Still a little high, but nothing to worry about. You just need to drink more liquids and eat something. With that he opened a can of peaches and sat on the opposite couch beginning to slurp them down in a somewhat disgusting manner. Luke couldn’t look away. The doctor met his gaze mid gobble, and extended the can.

“Want some?” Luke just picked up the new water bottle and shook his head. The doctor didn’t seem to care about the weird look Luke was giving him, and just continued eating, his slender fingers hungrily searching for lone peach stragglers at the bottom of the can. There was not much to do but stare. The sun in his eyes made the room, the objects, hazy as he squinted slightly.The doctor sat in the shadow, muted. His clothes were dark: a brown leather jacket over a maroon shirt, and almost black jeans. And his posture seemed subdued as well. He almost completely sank into the couch, his feet resting on the coffee table. Luke was all nerves while it seemed the doctor’s only concern was the food at hand. His eyes were bright, but the puffy skin, tinted darker than the surrounding skin, plainly showed the man was probably exhausted, though you wouldn't think it by looking at him scarf down the canned fruit. His lips glistened as he haphazardly shoved the food in his mouth. Something about watching the doctor suddenly did make him hungry.

“Alright,” he sighed. Reid was sucking on his fingers as he questioned what his companion was referring to. “Pass me one of those.” He was handed an open can that was a little sticky from where the man’s fingers had held it. “So where are we exactly?”

“An apartment complex not far from where I found you.”  
“We’re still close to the city?” He almost yelled, his eyes wide.

“I thought it was crucial to get you somewhere stable. I’m sorry I didn’t stop and check the real estate market.” Reid said, chunking the empty can off into a corner of the apartment.

“But are we safe?”

“You’ve been out for two days and you’re fine; aren’t you?”

For some reason Luke felt he had slept far less than that. The time loss seemed disjointed in his mind. “Two days?” He questioned, but the doctor didn’t feel the need to repeat himself. “When will I be better?” The doctor seemed like he wouldn’t  respond but did after wiping his hands on his clothes, sighing. He didn’t seem amused with Luke’s enthusiasm. “You just woke up. Give it some time.”

Luke pulled the musty cover close to him, his hand reaching immediately to his pocket. But as it darted around he only felt the fabric of his jeans. He panicked. “No.” He pulled the covers off and looked around frantically.

“Well, if you don’t give it time you’ll just hinder your recovery more.” Luke felt a stinging pain in his arm and winced not wanting to explain himself to this man.

“No, that’s not what I meant. My phone it’s gone!” The doctor leaned forward pulling something from his own jacket.  
“You mean this?” Luke’s eyes widened and he madly jumped for it. The doctor instinctively pulled back as Luke collapsed, sending cans flying off of the coffee table.

“Stop it you’re going to hurt yourself!” Luke recoiled from the doctor's concern as a shooting pain emanated from his arm. “What’s the matter with you? It’s not like you missed a call.” The doctor sneered. He tried to get Luke back onto the couch, but Luke was furious. He grabbed Reid by the collar demanding his phone. “Just give it back!”

“If you calm down I will, dammit!” Luke let himself be repositioned on the couch, and so the doctor tossed the phone at him. He half-muttered to himself, “That’s just my luck. I get stuck with a crazy blond. Hell, I would have settled for a dumb blond!” He turned on his patient. “What next? Are you going to start talking to it? Because I swear I’ll leave. I’m a doctor not a psychotherapist.”

“You don’t understand. Just shut up!” The doctor eyed him curiously as Luke held the phone in a tight fist. “Is there anything else you took off of me?” Luke accused.

“You ungrateful son of a bitch. I didn’t have to pull you off that overpass?” Reid went around one of the couches and picked up the backpack Luke had been carrying with him. He chucked it harshly at Luke’s feet. “Look through it if you really think I was stealing from you.” Luke clutched his bag, but didn’t unzip it. He wanted to trust him.

“How did you get my phone?”

“How else do you think? It fell out of your pocket so I picked it up.” He said, charitable attitute wearing thin. “But why were you carrying it around?”

“I get it. You can’t trust me and I can’t trust you! But I would think after I saved you from being zombie fodder, pulled you from the brink of death, and even got you a new battery for that piece of crap you might give me a little gratitude. Just like you’re giving me the third degree I was rooting through your things to find out who I am sleeping in the same room with; alright? Ask me your questions, but hold the scathing indignation for someone who deserves it.” The reverberations lingered, hanging off the walls from the force that had delivered them.

The doctor cursed and walked to the door. He placed a wood plank on what looked like makeshift hooks, essentially barring the door. When he turned back Luke turned away, afraid Reid's eyes would burn him alive. He looked to the phone in his hand instead. He noticed the time showed faintly. He had kept it off to preserve the lonely bar that had begun blinking its last breaths, but now his heart fluttered to see it responsive. Delicately flipping it open the screen lit up to reveal the wallpaper he had been reluctant to change. Two happy people captured in blissful paradise. He shut it immediately. The combination of past happiness and present pain too much to bear making his stomach churn painfully.

“Thanks.” Luke backtracked, trying to repair any damage he’d done. “I don’t know what I would have done if I’d woken up alone again.” He tucked the phone back into his pocket before finally taking a glance back at the man. “I am grateful, Dr. Oliver” Reid had that smug look on his face again.

“You’re welcome. You should eat and get more rest.” Reid pulled out a map and shut himself away. No amount of prodding seemed to engage the man anymore so Luke did as he was told. He went through the peaches in record time before Reid tossed him something more filling. A full stomach allowed him to rest even with the sun in his eyes.

* * *

It was much later, after a restless sleep, when he was startled awake by the moaning he had come to fear. Holding back a scream he scrambled around in a daze. Something cold and clammy came over his mouth. Luke couldn’t help but struggle even more. He was tangled in the covers and in his effort to release himself he fell onto the floor. Somebody crawled on top of him holding him still and all he could think of in the dark was that this was the end.

The person whispered softly, “It’s just me. Shut up!” There was another moan from far outside and Luke shook with fear. “Mr. Snyder!” He stilled trying to find the doctor’s face in the dark, but his figure was as black as a shadow. “Can I take my hand off your mouth now?” Luke nodded still shaking a little. The doctor moved his hand from Luke’s mouth and instead took his hand firmly. He lifted Luke up where they both fell into the couch letting their hands remain locked. Luke couldn’t help himself. He hadn’t felt comforting pressure in a long time and he had to take what he could get.

He threw himself into the shape next to him. His good arm easily wound itself around a thin waist, his head rested firmly against the man’s chest, and his shaking melted swiftly into Reid.

“What are you doing?” Luke could tell Reid was restraining himself from yelling. He whispered back, “I’m scared”.  
“Well don’t be!” The man tried in vain to pull himself out of the embrace, clearly uncomfortable, but Luke’s hold was ironclad.  
“Those sounds,” Luke hushed as more moans and shuffling sounded from beyond the walls. “Are we safe?” Reid was still adjusting himself trying to get the younger man to release his hold. He finally grabbed Luke by the shoulders and pulled him back, trying to look directly in his eyes, but the dark was absolute.

“We just need to be quiet. I’ve ensured the door can’t be easily opened. You just need to shut it!” The hair on Luke’s arms petrified as a shriek sounded outside the door. Whatever was out there threw itself at the door and it rattled uncertainly on its hinges.

Luke swiftly changed into demeanor. His life was in danger and he wasn’t going to just sit and wait for death. He released the doctor and moved toward the back of the couch. He had seen the doctor pull multiple things from back there and he was sure his gun would be there too. He heard the doctor shuffle around in the dark, not as sure of where he was stepping as Luke was. The doctor was afraid even if he tried to hide it with anger.

“What are you doing,” Luke almost didn’t hear him, but soon he felt the man fall to the ground next to him. As he groped in the dark he felt the butt of a much bigger weapon. He immediately took it in his hands knowing full well this was much better than the pistol he had been carrying.

“We’re going to defend ourselves.” He didn't even bother whispering as more zombies could be heard gathering around their door.

“You shouldn’t even be up!” Reid said, jumping against him as the door squealed against more monsters piling themselves onto it. They had been found out; Luke was astounded the doctor was acting otherwise.

“I’m suddenly feeling a lot better. Must be the zombies at our door! Here take your gun. They’re going to bust through that door eventually. One board is not going to hold them.” He placed the automatic in Reid’s shaking hands and immediately knew something was wrong. He couldn’t see in the darkened room but he had a sinking feeling about their situation.

“You use it!” Reid said refusing to take the gun. The hinges creaked painfully indicating the zombies were going to bust through it soon.

“Are you crazy? I’ve never fired this kind of weapon in my life.”

“But you have fired weapons before! This should be the same right!” Luke’s stomach dropped out as he realized something about his companion.

“You’ve never fired a gun before?” It wasn’t necessarily a question because the bile in the back of his throat seemed to have confirmed his theory.

“I’m a doctor,” Reid said, lamely before the door collapsed.

Luke quickly handed his pistol to the other man as he adjusted the gun in his own. “Just point and shoot!” He ordered, following his own advice. He yelled as he pulled the trigger, but nothing happened. Bodies fell into the room scrambling over each other to get to them and the gun wouldn't shoot.

“The gun won’t shoot!” He exclaimed. Reid rushed his hand over the gun pulling something on the front as a man stumbled upright inside the room.

“Try now!” Luke pulled again and he felt himself be propelled back at the force of bullets leaving the gun. The rounds that were unleashed had taken out the few who had disentangled themselves from the mass that had been held up in the frame of the door. They fell but continued to moan and claw at the two men. Both survivors scrambled back against the couches. Luke couldn’t do this with one hand. So he forced the pain in the upper part of his arm out of his mind and clutched it with both hands.

With the pale moon shining in through the open door he now had enough light to aim for the heads. Luke could now see the doctor’s trembling hands pointing the gun but failing to shoot. It was his first time. Luke had been the same. The nasty sound of blood splattering against the walls fazed him no more than the idea that he was taking human lives. But they weren’t human anymore. They had to believe that and continue.

Reid had probably not gotten past this crucial part of becoming a true survivor and they didn't have time to sit and discuss their feelings. He had failed to shoot once and Luke was ready to pummel the man feeling on the verge of a heart attack.

“How the hell have you survived this whole time?” He said.

The doorway was clogged with dead and writhing zombies but more were trying to inch their way through, crawling over their fallen brothers in an attempt to rip apart the feisty morsels. Luke got up and shot the ones in the immediate doorway, not even afraid of the dying ones in the pile easily stepping over them.

The doctor quietly hung back with the gun clutched closely to his chest. Luke just shook his head, his eyes knitting into tight confusion. “And who the hell leaves the safety on during a zombie apocalypse!” He yelled, going out into the night.

They were on the second floor of an apartment complex. He looked over the railing into the parking lot and saw more zombies rushing to the stairs that lead to where he was. He shouted back into the apartment.“I have more magazines in my backpack. Put them into your pocket and bring out any ammo you might have for this automatic.”

Luke had practiced enough with his father’s rifle to easily take out the zombies climbing the stairs across the complex, but the intense recoil was still tiring against his aching arm. Reid stumbled out handing him a big magazine he had to place in the hem of his jeans because it wouldn’t fit in his pocket. He felt the doctor pull at his jacket.

There was a syringe held between his teeth and Luke pulled away harshly. “What are you doing?” He said.

“Do you want that arm of yours to hurt? I am offering to numb the pain.” Luke stilled as an answer, and hands that had been shaking on a gun were steady for his patient. He was a doctor first.

“Thanks, Dr. Oliver.” The doctor looked over the rail for the first time to look at what they were facing. More zombies had been attracted to the sound of gunfire, and they were gaining access to the second floor from ways Luke could not anticipate. They were coming from both ends of the hallway and Reid still didn’t have his gun out. “I need you to please get over this irrational fear and help me!” Luke said as he started shooting again.

“Irrational? This isn’t irrational it’s ridiculous, it’s unfathomable, it’s inhuman and it’s….” He didn’t get to finish his thought as Luke shot clean over his shoulder. The zombie that had been inching towards Reid’s turned back, fell heavily onto the concrete. “GET OVER IT! And watch your back!” Luke said shoving Reid around. He had no more time to argue. Zombies were encroaching fast and if Reid would not help he needed to do double the work. He started mowing down as many as he could see. He shot a man in red, a woman running, a gothic teenager and a grandmother in a muumuu.

For the moment his line of vision was clear. He was about to turn around when he felt Reid back into him. The sound of a ricocheting bullet made him flinch. He looked over his shoulder and watched as Reid awkwardly held his shaking hands up and missed shot after shot. It wasn’t until a zombie was four feet away did he hit it successfully. Double-checking that his back was clear, he swung the gun over his shoulder by its strap before grabbing Reid over his shoulder.

The doctor protested the sudden contact. “Stop that!”

“Obviously, you need a quick lesson. Later I’ll teach you more, but for now just follow my lead.”

The man grumbled angrily, “Who says we’re going to be in each other’s company for much longer?” Luke just jabbed the man with his elbow, before palming Reid’s hands, to help aim the gun. “The top of the gun helps aim. Never hesitate to shoot.” One, two, three, four down with one shot each. A zombie came zigzagging as he weaved over fallen zombies. Reid’s hands tried to follow but Luke forced Reid’s hands to still. He waited until the zombie came into his aim. One shot stalled him and the second caused him to fall over the rail. The area was clear. As they stood breathing harshly Luke laid his head on Reid’s shoulder the adrenaline was quickly running out of his body.

“That’s it. That's all I got.” Luke leaned on the doctor far more than he had anticipated and Reid had to catch him from collapsing.

“While the coast is clear we need to find another room that we can hide in until morning. Come on.” Luke threw his arm around the man and they rushed down the hallway. They stumbled into one of the only unlocked apartments. While Luke held himself against the door, Reid made a general sweep of the rooms. He came back a bit flustered, but triumphant.  
“This one has a bed.” He laid Luke in the musty smelling bedroom before running off. Locks sounded off as they were clicked shut and Luke even heard something heavy being moved.

A silently grim Reid returned sitting on the edge of the bed shuddering. “I think we’re good.” He was shaking enough for the bed to quiver along with him. Luke had been in the same position before, knew that Reid probably felt like more of a monster than the zombies outside. He was still breathing, still alive and that should always be enough. Luke wanted to talk to him, say something to comfort him, but it was hard to not sound dismissive. He tried though.

“Are you ok?

“Just peachy,” Reid murmured into his hands. Luke tried again. “Do you need a hug?”

“Is that supposed to be funny?”

“I’m serious.”

“So am I. Is that supposed to be a joke; because, I can’t take very much more at the moment.” The doctor had tried to be menacing. Had tried to yell, but he was slowly breaking down, and he had sounded like he was pleading with Luke to stop.

“Just get some rest Mr. Snyder. You’ll need it.”

Luke remembered the dark circles under the man’s eyes. Had he stayed up nursing Luke back to health and not slept at all? Tormented by the sounds of the roaming dead right outside the door, and knowing if they broke in he would be helpless. Luke could barely see in this endless dark, but he could feel the indentation in the bed. He touched Reid’s shaking hand. It was cold and clammy. Closing his fingers over it he pulled the man farther into the bed. He thought there would be protesting like before, but Reid allowed himself to be repositioned. Luke put the man’s back to his chest and pulled him into an embrace, holding him tight, until the shudders stopped shaking completely.

“I’ll keep watch tonight. Just sleep.”

“You are an idiot.” The doctor muttered in a voice that was already succumbing to sleep. Luke tried to stay awake but the rhythmic sound of his companion’s breathing was a hard lullaby to ignore. He fell asleep at once.


	2. Chapter 2

Bang!

Luke startled awake. He instinctively reached for the other side of the bed, but his hand met nothing but the comforter. The door to the room burst open and Luke scrambled up against the headboard grabbing the lamp on the bedside table as a weapon. Men with raised guns, dressed in military uniforms, filed in screaming at him. He immediately dropped the lamp and raised his good arm up to show he was unarmed.

“Please, don’t shoot!”

“Are you infected citizen?!”

“No no no!” He couldn’t get the word out fast enough for his own liking, but the soldiers dropped their weapons and shouted in unison, “All clear sir!”

A man in scrubs walked in; his hair was shockingly red and beginning to be patched through with grey. He approached without introductions and began examining Luke. When he came up to touch his face Luke instinctively swatted at his hand.

“Now now, I just need to confirm you’re clean.” He took out a flashlight and opened Luke’s eyes wide. He touched his forehead, and then took his pulse. “Turn your head and cough, please.” Luke did as he was told but yelped when the doctor deeply pricked his finger. Luke yanked his hand back to him, as the doctor looked at the specimen of blood he had collected. He placed it in a tube and wiped his hands together.

“You seem fine. Come on.” He turned on his heels and walked out of the room. Luke didn’t do anything at first. He didn’t know what the hell to think about the army coming out of nowhere. Where had they been the first months of the incident? He heard the man from the other room, “Don’t make me use force.”

Luke jumped out of bed and rushed to follow, his wounded arm clutched tightly in his other hand throbbing horribly. He and Luke exited the apartment with the regiment continuing to kick down doors and shooting whenever they found something that needed to be disposed of. The sun was out and Luke figured it was ten in the morning. As they walked by decaying bodies the doctor lead him down into the parking lot.

“Quite a mess you made up there.” The man asked, but Luke wasn’t ready for the his questioning.

“I’m sorry but who are you?”

“I’m a doctor working with the military here in St. Louis. My name is Charles Channing, pleased to meet you.” The doctor shook Luke’s hand warmly.

“Luke Snyder.” He said, accepting the introduction.

“Well Mr. Snyder, I’m glad you survived the night. We thought we would arrive to another dead man. You have good skills if you killed this many.”

“How did you know?”

The doctor laughed, “And you’re cautious to boot. Good boy. People come and tell us about troubled areas. A survivor living close by, heard quite a commotion from around here, and told us about it earlier this morning. We came as soon as we could.”

Luke sighed, “That wouldn’t have been a Dr. Reid Oliver?” When the man’s eyes bulged at the name, Luke took a step back as the warm demeanor disappeared.

“What do you know about Oliver? Was he here? Where is he now?” Channing was almost deranged in his questioning.

“He helped me recover from a gunshot wound, but this morning he was gone.” Luke said, before the man rushed back up the stairs, yelling as he went.

“Search thoroughly! Dr. Oliver couldn’t have gone far!” He disappeared into an apartment leaving Luke stunned, and shocked to the core. _Had he been staying with a criminal?_

The rumble of an engine started up. The doctor in question rode over on his motorcycle.

“Get on!” He demanded.

There was a shout from around them, “There he is!” and Dr. Oliver revved the engine ready to go with or without Luke.

So Luke made the decision without another thought and jumped on.

Almost immediately Reid barreled away and had Luke not wrapped his good arm around the man’s waist he would have been thrown right off. Luke hoped the head start would mean they could escape. But thoughts of sneaking away were easily dashed as they heard pursuers. Luke took a glance back for Reid and saw two Jeeps in pursuit.

“We have two on our tail!” He shouted and Reid accelerated to the warning. He looked for heavily car filled streets to try and get the jeeps stuck but this area seemed to have been cleared. Luke heard shots and gripped onto the doctor tighter.

“They’re shooting at us!”

“How else are they going to stop me?” The doctor shouted as he sharply turned into a narrow ally way. Luke saw the jeeps follow one behind the other and realized it was going to be difficult to lose them. Reid took them steadily closer toward the city, the streets becoming more congested.

“Wait! We’re not seriously driving through the city!?” But Reid ignored his apparently stupid question because he drove on. The jeeps tried to catch up as they realized Reid’s plan, but were too late. The streets of the city were clogged with cars and Reid was left driving on the sidewalk. Luke heard the shots ring out against cars and he cursed, feeling almost like the bullets had whizzed right passed his head.

Reid navigated his way a little more carefully as buildings efficiently blocked them from the soldiers but that wasn’t their only problem. They were now in the heart of the city making more noise than they should, and the streets were getting harder to traverse. Cars were not limited to just the streets. Many frustrated drivers— or drivers ravaged by the infection— had tried to make their way through buildings leaving some sidewalks just as blocked. Not to mention the remains of decaying corpses filling the streets.

“Please tell me you know a way out of this place.” Luke quipped optimistically keeping his nose against the doctors back, the stench hovering at ground level making his eyes water.

“Sorry, Mr. Snyder, but I’m not from around here.” Reid took a smaller side street that seemed to be a biking route and cut his way towards the signs that indicated the way to I-55. Shots rang out from far behind, and Luke turned to try and catch a glimpse of what was going on, but it was way out of eye sight.

Something darted at the corner of Luke’s eye.

It could have easily been the midday sun reflected against the thousands of windows or kicked up dust, and yet he couldn’t get rid of the feeling that the army wasn’t the only thing following them. The eruption of more gunshots had him increasingly worried.

Reid slowed to a stop. “Shit!” A pile up blocked every inch of the road. There was no room left for Reid’s bike to get through.

“Maybe we should get down and walk.” Luke offered, but Reid was determined to keep their advantage. “I would rather take our chances and backtrack.” He said.

They turned the bike around only to stop again. Five men and women were standing in their way; watching them. Their skin was horribly blotched and bruised, and their clothes were torn to ribbons, leaving their bodies exposed to the elements. But they weren’t doing anything. Their languid eyes could have just as easily been staring at them or something in their general area. Luke felt Reid tense horribly, his sternum indicating he had taken a breath and refused to release it. The doctor reached for Luke’s hand, and whispered the way he had in the apartment, so low it was almost inaudible.

“I still have both our guns.” The back of the motorcycle had a compartment Luke had overlooked in their rush, and tied to the side of the compartment was the military issue M-16 he had used the night before. The evidence that this man was some sort of rebel was stacking against the good doctor, but he wasn’t in the position to actually state that at the moment.

He raised the big gun and aimed at the closest person. It was a woman in a torn stripped suit. The only fabric left hung loosely around her waist. Her blond hair was matted with blood and something else that left it frizzed and dried in some places and pressed against her scalp at others. Luke didn’t need to scrutinize this thing anymore than determining where the head was, but he couldn’t convince himself these were deranged zombies. They were different.

“What are you waiting for?” Reid frantically whispered, but he swung the strap around his shoulders and let it hang at his side.

“Just drive past them, but really slowly. Don’t make any sudden movements.”

“What!”

“They’re not going to hurt us unless they feel threatened, so go.” He ordered, but he could tell the doctor was debating this in his head, along with what little options he had left to him. The motorcycle started moving, heading for a gap between the day walkers. One of them was a young child. He looked around ten and disgustingly reminded him of his little brother. He had to close his eyes as they rode past.

He felt something brush against his leg. The little boy reached out to touch him even as his death glazed eyes stared past him. He heard Reid gasp as one of the closer day walkers pressed a hand to his head as they rode past. With a scared yelp, he accelerated quickly leaving the weird anomalies to go back to their lives.

Luke glanced back watching the small child still with his hand outstretched, as if waiting for someone to grasp it. He couldn’t help but increase his hold on Reid, wanting desperately for him to return some sort of comforting gesture, but the doctor was quite oblivious. The jeeps burst into sight way ahead of them gun shots tearing past them, and into the day walkers. They seemed to be blindly shooting all around them, but as Luke strained his eyes he saw a mob of bobbing heads chasing after them. Reid turned down a street heading as fast as he could away from whatever was coming their way, but it was too late.

As if the mob was a signal for everything else in the city to wake up, soon there were zombies emerging from every building with blood lust.

“Dr. Oliver….” Luke warned, but Reid just yelled. “I hope you don’t have reservations about shooting now!” Luke immediately raised the gun up and found it much more difficult to shoot while on the move. Head shots were out of the question so he tried to aim for the guts and legs, hoping to drop the walking dead. When he went for more ammo it was painfully obvious that they were not in a pretty situation.

In an attempt to avoid an oncoming zombie Reid clipped a car and they were sent flying into concrete and at the feet of the hungry mob. He wished his world hadn’t gone black, but it did. For a painfully long couple of seconds Luke struggled to just open his eyes. There was a pain coming from his healing arm that felt like someone had forcefully ripped it out of its socket. Unfortunately that was the least of his problems. On opening his eyes he saw the slow and deliberate march of a predator who knew its pray was going nowhere.

With death staring him in the eyes he somehow found the strength to stand with an empty gun in his hand. His left arm hung useless at his side wanting to kill him with the pain, but his instincts for survival made him bear it with gritted teeth. The three that were surrounding him didn’t seem worried that he would get away and didn’t even increase their march to a saunter.

Luke took the barrel of the gun in his hand and let his fear and anger consume him. He brutally swung the butt of the gun into the closest guy’s head knocking him down immediately with an awful indentation in his head. He proceeded to do the same to anything that came close his eyes frantically searching for the doctor.

Reid caught his eye having apparently landed on a car hood. He was climbing the cars trying to get to the motorcycle as the zombies stumbled to get their footing and climb on after him. Luke slowly fought his way over keeping his eyes on the unarmed doctor. As he walked over the roof of a white Sedan, the motorcycle lying upside down at the hood of the car, an eager zombie grabbed hold of his foot sending him head first to the concrete below.

“Reid!” He yelled instinctively. The man somehow continued to crawl, his hand trying to open the motorcycle compartment but the zombies were on him faster than he could defend himself. Luke saw him flail and kick, but he couldn’t get to him fast enough for his beating heart.

Sending another zombie flying back with his head busted open something fell at his feet. It was the magazine he had stored in his jean’s waistband the night before. Fumbling around with one arm he managed to change the clip. He angrily mowed down the zombies between him and his doctor. Using the butt of his gun he dispersed the zombies and garnered their attention enough to shoot them point blank in the face. Reid was in the fetal position, his arms around his head, scratched and bloody, and his jacket and shirt all but gone leaving his back exposed.

“Reid?” Luke bent down, too scared to touch the bloody shoulder.

“Watch your back.” Luke turned around as another wave of zombies came at him. Even with more ammo he didn’t think he could defend them for very long. He lifted the gun ready to die guns blazing, but had failed to shoot once as zombies began to fall dead. The sound of rumbling engines sounded against the sound of raining bullets. The jeeps, no worse for wear, stopped twenty feet away leaving piles of zombies in between them.

“Put the gun down boy! We won’t think twice about shooting you.” Dr. Channing shouted from the jeeps. Luke dropped the gun feeling both relieved and scared. “Bring the doctor to us, and we’ll think about not putting you in jail for this.” Luke was reluctant to obey.

Reid caught his attention. He was sitting up, his head and back dripping in blood, but looking as stubborn as ever.

“Are you ok?” He said giving the man some help up.

Reid raised an eyebrow at the question. “You have a dislocated shoulder. Maybe I should be the one to ask you the questions.” He slowly stood up a hand hanging slightly behind his back.

“Reid Oliver, you look like shit! Do you think you’re infected?” Channing taunted.

“Why? So you could run your little tests on me instead of have me conduct them?”

“I think it would be the perfect experiment. ‘Documentation of the degeneration of a healthy human being into an animal’ I would like that. Either way you need to come back to the hospital with us.”

“Hate to break it to you Chuckie, but I don’t need to do anything.” Even from a distance Luke could see the scowl on Channing’s face.

“You have a responsibility to your country to donate your knowledge to me!”

“No! My responsibility is to sick people not dead people; alright? Now if you’ll excuse me I want to leave now.” Reid walked over to the overturned motorcycle and started lifting it into a standing position. Reid leaned the bike against the car and stopped. A shot struck the windshield of the sedan making a chilling ‘snick’ sound.

“Don’t tempt me Reid. I could order your legs to be shot off of you so I would advise you get in the jeep. Now.”

A weary soldier exclaimed from the second jeep. “Another horde is coming, sir!

“Dammit Reid, now!”

He walked forward positioning himself in between the jeeps and Luke, and it was then that Luke saw that Reid was holding something. “Look Channing you’re going to have your hands full so I’ll help you out with this.” A small pin fell at his feet as Reid tossed a grenade into a new horde of zombies filling the street between them. Reid embraced Luke and bent them down against the explosion that filled the streets.

The blast of air and sound rushed through them. Even before the debris began to settle Reid ran to the motorcycle and as the dust fell around them and a fire began to burn he was revving for their escape. Luke followed close behind, the gun strapped over his shoulder again.

“Hold on.” He instructed, and luke clung desperately to him with his good arm as they zipped expertly through the city. Slack jawed zombies stood staring at the blaze that had erupted and left the two survivors to navigate safely to the interstate.

* * *

They didn’t speak. Reid just followed the interstate dutifully out of the city. Luke didn’t even think Reid had a destination in mind. They just fled. Luke was entrusting his life to a man he barely knew, who had been tracked down by the U.S. military and had just used a grenade to escape from them. He still didn’t say a word because he was lost in the comforting feeling of another person’s body. It was almost peaceful, and Luke wanted to stay with his head resting on this man’s back forever. And he even began watching the passing trees with lazy interest.

Luke tried to imagine that it was Noah who was driving the motorcycle, and this was just them eloping, and none of the past month, or even the past year, had occurred. But as far as he knew Noah had never gone near a motorcycle, let alone knew how to drive one. The image in his mind collapsed and he saw the bloody and ravaged Dr. Oliver who was unresponsive to his advances. He lessened his hold shouting over the whir of passing wind.

“We need to stop and tend to our wounds!”The doctor didn’t answer.

A sign up ahead signaled a small town called Derby and Luke felt them lean toward the exit. It was a very small town. Abandoned cars littered the streets but not nearly enough to fill the parking lot of the local drug store.

The place looked exactly like any litany of horror movies Noah had at one point made him sit through. This is exactly where zombie movies should start— creepy small towns, like his own and like this one. The main residences were a little further down from the central square they had entered. They were off of the back roads and in between the thick woodland areas. Reid plunged through dense trees and found a couple of houses nestled together.

They all looked pretty abandoned. No cars were in any of the driveways, and garage doors seemed to have been left open in the rush to leave. They were all big, two-story houses so Luke pointed to the biggest and they parked the motorcycle neatly within the driveway. The front door was unlocked so they let themselves in to a very old house. The doors and floor boards squeaked and the handles jiggled. Even though it should have seemed scary it was welcoming and warm.

Luke felt at ease; although, he usually disliked staying in houses. He avoided them when he could, and it was easy with so many motels around. When he did he tried not to pry. He just had an inkling that its owner could come back at any moment; alive or dead. These things had been cherished and loved and he didn’t feel right using them knowing full well he wouldn’t like anybody setting up residence at his own house. It was a habit he knew he should let go of because safety was a first priority. More importantly he was dirty, wounded and tired. Maybe he deserved to stay in such a comfortable place for once.

Now that he was inside the grand house he couldn’t help but lay his eyes on every picture and knick knack that littered the walls. He was naturally a curious being, another reason to avoid houses in his opinion. All along the entrance hallway he saw a family grow from a first child to multiple birthdays, graduations, weddings and grandchildren. This house seemed to have seen it all, and was happy to have life within its walls once again.

Reid quickly set to searching the immediate areas, and all the rooms. He quickly found a generator that worked, and exclaimed that they had hit the jackpot. With that Luke helped block entrances and windows, before he collapsed in the comfortable living room.

The A/C sitting in the window had kicked on with a splutter and was now delivering a shivering cold into the already chilly room. Luke walked over and turned it off. The seasons were changing fast and already the air was getting a fierce bite. It didn’t bode well for the rest of Luke’s trek, but he had more pressing matters to think about.

The doctor was standing in the middle of the room, but had not said anything yet. The heavy atmosphere settled comfortably over them as neither knew what to say. The doctor slightly shivered, still just clad in jeans, his shirt and jacket having been torn off during their escape. Luke held his dislocated arm tightly thinking of how to even start. He was about to take his own jacket off and offer it when the doctor glanced over at him, struggling with the jacket.

He sheepishly said, “I should have popped your arm back into place as soon as we arrived.” Reid approached the younger man, but Luke instinctively pulled away. The doctor frowned, angrily adding. “What now?” Luke really didn’t want to piss the doctor off, but he couldn’t continue to blindly trust the man, either. No matter how much he really wanted to. 

“Who are you?”

The doctor scowled. “I think we’ve already been through this. Do you have amnesia? That’s a serious symptom of brain damage.” The doctor retorted.

“You know what I mean. Who are you; really? You can’t be just some ordinary doctor.”

“I’m not. I’m a world renowned neurosurgeon.”

 “Can I even trust that answer?” Luke raked a hand through his hair stepping a little further away from the doctor. “That guy with the army looked more like a doctor.”

That got a serious and loud response from Reid. “Why do people think that just because you wear a lab coat it automatically makes you a professional? For all we know it’s a costume that comes paired with a sexy nurse outfit!”  

“Then why are they after you? Why were you so ready to throw a grenade in their faces?” Luke said.

“They had guns! Of course, I was going to defend myself.”

“Are you a criminal or something?”

“What?”

“Why else is the U.S. Army after you.” Luke concluded, but Reid was not changing his tune. Reid pointed a finger angrily.

“Get something straight. The world we knew before this incident is long gone. Cell phones are not going to get their signal back. Hell, we’ll be lucky to tap into some working landlines. The government is not running the army anymore. We don’t have a government, and even if we did they’d be hard pressed to find any way of reaching the thousands of survivors left who even give a crap. People are doing things out of their own sense of moral standing and my morals are not equivalent to that of Channing’s and his pet soldiers. Nobody tells Reid Oliver what to do. I’d rather die first.”

“What happened then to get you mixed in with those people? It was chaos right after the outbreak. Anybody who was reluctant to shoot a gun, to defend themselves, they were the first to go. You never even fired a gun until last night! What have you been doing for a month? Hiding? Or were you being held by the military? Did you escape?”

Reid angrily pulled at his face. It was obvious he was using every bit of his tattered will to not completely snap. With a Zen like sigh he finally kind of shrugged, and said, “Essentially, yes.”

Luke balked. “Essentially? What is that supposed to mean?”

“It means that’s all I’m going to tell you about this subject. Now, stop being stupid and let me set your arm.”

“Not until you tell me what the hell that doctor had you doing. Experiments?”

The doctor’s eyes widened his face suddenly grim. He approached Luke. “Mr. Snyder I am a mad scientist whose experiment got out of hand. My poor wife dead at thirty! I couldn’t take the sadness and utter loneliness. I tried to bring her back, but things got out of hand. I defied god!” He waved his hands around dramatically and Luke slapped them away, not amused in the slightest. Harshly Luke said, “That’s not true.”

The doctor crossed his arms, frowning slightly. “You are correct. No one has captured this confirmed bachelor.”

“This is no time for jokes.” Luke said, and finally Reid exploded. “This is a perfect time for jokes! I’ve been shitting bricks the past few days. I think this is a perfect time to try and lighten the god damned mood. There are no walking dead around, or gun toting soldiers, or ‘holier than thou’ veterinarians who call themselves brain surgeons.” The doctor flinched with a growl as a gash in his shoulder reopened, blood oozing out over dried patches of red.

“Crap, your arm.” Luke reached out to touch him but the doctor was still fuming.

“Sit down!” Luke didn’t know why he had obliged so quickly. It was that professional tone again. He sat on the edge of the couch his heart pounding. “Now, sit still.” Dr. Oliver ordered.

Luke thought the doctor was just going to set his arm, but instead he pulled his medical bag to his side and popped the thermometer into Luke’s mouth. Motioning for Luke to shrug off his jacket he began scrutinizing the gunshot and the now dislocated arm. His meticulous fingers worked as he spoke softly. It was the same voice from the hazy memories of unconsciousness; he found it hard to protest against it. His voice was mesmerizing.

“Does this hurt?” Luke had hardly noticed Dr. Oliver’s prodding around his wound but he winced, “Yeah, actually.”

Dr. Oliver gave a small smile as he continued speaking. “The brain is an amazing piece of work.” Luke could feel the doctor’s hot breath against his skin as he applied antiseptic and new bandages. He also began to feel a deep painful throbbing. “This should have been killing you from the pain. Now that the danger has passed the pain will begin to multiply.” The words acted as keys and soon a dull ache began to spill into his bones and body.

Luke couldn’t believe he had been ignoring this during their whole escape. He willed himself to stay quiet as the pain amplified, and soon he was blinking away tears. The doctor tightened the bandaging and soothingly reassured him, “Now now, Mr. Snyder, don’t clench.” The rest of his body was bombarding his brain with information about bruises, scrapes and cuts he was just now becoming aware of. It was overwhelming. He tried to focus on the doctor’s voice instead.

Reid continued like he was talking to a child, “I consider you my patient.” He began massaging Luke’s shoulder, up and down in soft rhythmic motions. Luke suddenly felt weak in the knees, suddenly grateful to be sitting down.

Softly Reid said, “And I’m determined to nurse you to perfect health.” He was feeling a little light headed, from the pain. The doctor stopped one hand at the crook of Luke’s neck, “I am your doctor; aren’t I?”

Luke thought that was a strange question. Of course. At this point Reid was kind of like his doctor. Not specifically his, as though he owned him. That would be strange and very inappropriate for a doctor and patient to be. Luke tore his eyes away from a fixed location on the floor and looked at the doctor through a pain induced haze. Reid’s pale eyes stood out at such a close proximity, even in the dim living room light. He had blotches of blood and dirt smeared to his face, and Luke wanted to wipe it away. His fingers twitched on his good hand, and for some reason he licked his lips anxiously. “I….” But before he could say a word the popping sound filled his body. He yelled the house containing it and amplifying it.

The doctor had swiftly popped the arm back into place before Luke could even register what had happened and with his job done Reid stood up flexing his fingers. Dully he responded to Luke’s anguished groans, “I said not to clench.”

“Why didn’t you warn me?” His yells were muffled within couch cushions.

“I’ve been telling you since we got here that I was going to reset your arm. What did you think I was going to do?” The soft almost husky voice was gone and the doctor sounded like a prick once again. He put his hands on his hips looking at Luke as if he was being overdramatic.

“Look, I feel responsible for your health. By taking you off of that overpass I made you my patient without your consent. So I ask again, are you my patient? Do you want me to continue treating you, like a doctor?” The thermometer had fallen from his mouth when Luke had yelled and the doctor snatched it back. He looked at it and put it away in his bag, and proceeded to walk around the room giving Luke expectant glares from time to time.

He yanked the lacy, floral table cloth off of the dining table before asking, “Well?” Luke watched the doctor fold it expertly, holding his paining arm and feeling slightly sick. Luke was insulted.

“You act as if we can’t be more than just patient and doctor?” Luke knew as soon as the words left his mouth they had sounded weird. Even Reid cocked his head slightly, raising an expectant eyebrow. Luke stumbled on his words, feeling awkward, tired, and just general misery. “I mean we’re allies, friends. Aren’t we?”

Reid vigorously shook his head. “We can’t be friends, Mr. Snyder. This is temporary. I helped you out, you helped me out and as soon as you’re healthy you’ll be on your way. I’m not going to join you so we can have a gay little adventure together. I have somewhere I’m headed too. No reason to get attached.” He said it so matter-of-factly that Luke felt stupid. Stupid for thinking he had made even the slightest impact on the doctor. Reid stood uncomfortably close.

“Will you let me be your doctor?”  

“I guess I have to say yes.”

“So, yes?”

Luke nodded angrily, “Yes, yes.”

“Good.” The doctor bent over him. At first Luke thought he was going to kiss him, and the butterflies in his stomach exploded. Instead the doctor was tying the two ends of the table cloth around his neck. He smelled awful, a mixture of iron, sweat, and death. Luke was glad when he pulled away, if not a little disappointed it hadn’t been a hug. The doctor looked sternly at him.

“Well that works half as much as I thought it would. Just keep your arm in that sling and in a few days you should be fine. The gunshot wound is healing better than I expected. It could have easily been infected but I got to you in time. Also, I would advise you, as your doctor, to not ask me any more questions about today.” He clapped his hands and went towards the stairs. “Now I’m going to see if there is any water still running. Hopefully I can get rid of this awful smell.”

“But…” Luke didn’t actually have anything to say. He was at a loss for words actually. He was both angry and hurt for being brushed off as just another patient to the big shot doctor so he scrambled for words. “You said not to use the water.”

“I’m not going to drink it and I won’t marinate myself in it. I just need to wipe myself down and I’m sure these hillbillies have soap.” He turned to retreat into the upper floor, but Luke quickly caught him with a shout. “What about your own wounds?” He struggled to stand as he asked

The doctor came to a stop, visibly swearing. Turning to look down from the landing he questioned, “What about them?”

Painfully Luke adjusted his arm into the makeshift sling, “I saw bite marks.” His tone was a mixture of worry and anxiousness.

“I’m a neurosurgeon Mr. Snyder. I can take care of a couple of skin abrasions.” 

Luke persisted. “What if you’re infected?” He held the banister as he rounded the bottom of the stairs looking up at the thoroughly annoyed doctor.

“If you think this is like in video games and movies you’re wrong. Unless I somehow got some of their blood in a wound I’ll be fine. They were much more preoccupied with tearing me apart than trying to stab me with a used needle or something like that.”

“Alright well, they’re all over your back. Do you need me to help you with them?” Luke wasn’t sure why he continued opening his mouth. Or maybe he did know but he just didn’t want to think about it. The doctor gave him a strange look as he shifted uncomfortably.

“Look, what I was kind of trying to say before is that the only relationship we’re going to share is doctor patient. I won’t be your friend and I won’t be **that** for you either.” He paused for a second hoping what he had said had sunken in before disappearing into the upstairs wing, leaving Luke’s mouth agape. When Reid popped his head back over the railing just two seconds later Luke hadn’t even moved a muscle.

“Do you mind seeing if these hillbillies have any clothes we could change into? No offense, but you don’t smell like a bed of roses either. And as much as I like being half naked it’s starting to get rather chilly. I’ll be quick in the shower.” He was gone before Luke could even string together a sentence.

The phone in his pocket felt a little heavy, and he became acutely aware of the pain coursing through his body. He was done. He wished he had never met this doctor. It had only caused him more pain than traveling alone had.

He stiffly made it up the stairs. When he passed the bathroom door he stopped. He took hold of the knob before he had even thought about it, images of a naked doctor appearing in his pain induced delirium. He stumbled back knocking into the wooden paneling. Hurriedly he rushed down the corridor.

He burst into the last room on the landing, and locked the door behind him. He had found the master bedroom. The musky smell of rot had already set in, and as he sat down on the large four poster bed he kicked up dust from the comforter.

A couple’s life was laid out on the dresser across from the bed. He was never meant to see pictures of a young couple standing at the Grand Canyon, or the couple sharing a piece of cake on their wedding day, or kissing tenderly from a hospital bed, a small baby laying in the mother’s arm. These were moments he didn’t think he would have had before the zombie apocalypse and now they were so far from his reach he mourned them. He felt tears dampening his eyes, and he pulled his phone out. The phone was quiet in his hand. No matter how much he willed for it to ring it just sat there.

“What am I doing, Noah?” His voice cracked, tears flowing heavily before he could wipe them away. He lay down on the bed, trying to adjust his arm into a resting position, but it hurt no matter where he put it. Ignoring it he flipped the phone open staring at his dark haired boyfriend’s picture. The warmth of his memories was never strong enough to pull him out of this cold misery. Finally he just gave in to sleep. It was much easier than having to think about the present.


	3. Chapter 3

The next few days passed in relative silence. No zombies or people had disturbed them and it would have been a serene safe house, but the tension within had Luke on pins and needles. After the doctor’s rejection, Luke reevaluated his intentions, and in an effort to quell the awkwardness he ignored the doctor as best he could. He had not created the desired effect and instead made interacting even more uncomfortable.

Behind the house was a large clearing and within it stood a shabby green house. It had grown wild without any upkeep, but produced ripened vegetables that were a varied pleasure apart from the canned options they had at their disposal. Luke, figuring he was the more experienced of the two, volunteered to harvest for the day. He liked the quiet, and being away from the doctor was an added bonus.

The morning was cold and the oversized jogging suit he wore did little to keep the chill out of his bones. All of the clothes they had found on the property were for a larger, older individual, leaving them looking small in the sagging material. If he had the energy to spend on his appearance he would be appalled at his state of dress, instead he was just happy it didn’t have any blood on it.

Luke fumbled with a vegetable as he caught movement through the windows. He slid his healing arm out of the sling, the pain not as debilitating as before, and took a shovel to bat. Nothing had found them thus far, but that didn’t mean they were invisible. Reid stepped inside the enclosure eying the shovel with mild interest, before giving him a tried look.

“I know you’re all better now, but do you really have to off me before breakfast?” Luke huffed in relief.

“You scared me.” He explained, readjusting his arm in a new comfy sling they had found in one of the giant closets.

“Mmhmm,” Reid murmured as he examined the contents in the bucket Luke was using to collect the produce.  “What are those cucumbers?” Luke turned back to the bed of squashes that took up a corner of the green house.

“They’re zucchinis actually.” He shifted his body as the doctor got closer to look over his shoulder. Quickly Luke added. “I’m actually almost done here. You don’t have to help me. I got it.” He checked the vegetables firmness, and tried to ignore the fact that Reid had not started retreating.

“Is that all we’re going to have?” There was a touch of disgust in Reid’s voice.

Luke was curt. “There are different kinds of squash planted here. I’ll just chop and boil some of these. They’ll be way better than the gunk we’ve been eating out of cans.”

“I like that gunk.” Reid defended to which Luke made a gagging sound, still not turning to face the doctor. He heard Reid give a sound of contemplation, “Hmm, so you’re a farm boy, is that right?”

“Yes,” Luke said. He paused for a second, thinking of how much to say about his past. “I used to live on a farm from time to time.” 

“I would never have guessed.” Reid said; Luke kept his mouth shut. The doctor had been trying to egg him on since he had first noticed Luke was ignoring him. “You don’t look like someone who’s done a hard day’s work in your life. You look like a spoiled brat.”

Luke slammed a yellow gourd into the bucket at his feet finally sparing a glance behind him. “What are you trying to accomplish?”

“Well, I think it’s better than this awkward silence that’s been growing between us.” The doctor shrugged. He had finally moved back to a work table. He sluggishly rested his head in his hand as he leaned on the table, a lazy glaze over his eyes. It made Luke even angrier.

“Your words were, ‘we can’t be anything but patient and doctor. Don’t get attached’. Right? I was just following the doctor’s orders.” Luke said spitefully, turning back to angrily glare at the poor looking squash at his feet.

“You never made small talk with your previous doctors? Or did you give them the cold shoulder too?” Luke didn’t say anything so the doctor continued. “Must have just been the cute ones.” Luke would have turned to glare at the doctor if he wasn’t blushing. Reid said, “I’m just trying to have a pleasant conversation.”

Luke accused the doctor, “You don’t seem like the type to enter into anything pleasant. I bet your bosses must have been swamped with complaints over your bedside manner.”

It seemed Luke had hit a sore spot because the doctor shot back. “Just because I don’t pander to people’s stupidity it doesn’t make me a bad doctor.”

“Yes, but I would bet that most of the patients who came to see you were very scared. The least you can do is pretend you care about people’s feelings.”

“Talking about yourself there?”

“No!” Luke combated.

But Reid wouldn’t let him off so easy. “Would you rather I be deceitful just to soothe you’re feelings. Look who thinks the world revolves around him.” Luke had completely forgotten about the vegetables, his right hand balled tightly at his side. He yelled, “This coming from a self absorbed doctor who hasn’t missed one chance to repeat he was a ‘world renowned neurosurgeon’.”

Reid finally stood up straight from his position on the table. Cocking his head to the side with an insufferable smirk on his lips he said, “Am; Mr. Snyder. I am a world renowned neurosurgeon for a reason, and just because the world is in ruins it doesn’t mean I’ve been demoted.”

“Ugh,” Luke made the exasperated noise as he snatched at the handle to the bucket of vegetables. He rushed out of the green house. Not sparing a glance back he slid into the house. A fire had been started on a gas grill they’d found in the garage. Water was already boiling so he began cutting the vegetables. The sound of the knife against the board was in time with the blood pumping in the back of his head. When the door creaked open he spun around. The knife in his tightly clasped hand glinted dangerously with squash guts dripping from its blade and Luke pointed it at the doctor.

Reid held his hands up, “Colonel Mustard, in the kitchen with a knife!” Luke turned back to his task.

“You’re not funny.” He said harshly. With a quick motion he slipped the cut up vegetables into the boiling pot. Shuffling around noisily, he looked for herbs in the dusty cabinets. He sprinkled here and there and put the last bit of garlic into the mix, after checking its freshness. Reid hadn’t spoken, and Luke could only guess he was watching him intently.

When he turned for a look, the man was just sitting bored at the dinner table, twiddling his thumbs. He glanced up in time to catch Luke’s glare. “Are we done being childish? I was just trying to talk to you.” Reid said.

“Has it occurred to you that maybe I don’t want to talk to you?” Luke said, and Reid raised his hands in defeat. “Forgive me Mr. Snyder. I’ll let you wallow in your misery!”

“But you’re the one that doesn’t want anything to do with me! You said so.” Luke snapped, feeling his stomach churn.

Reid sighed speaking softer than he had before. “What you want from me is some sort of long term companionship, and I can’t give you that. This is temporary.”

Luke’s cheeks flushed. “That’s not what I want! I have someone already Dr. Oliver so don’t flatter yourself.”

The doctor shook his head sadly. “I doubt that.” He said.

“What do you know?! Noah and I have been together for three years now, and I promised I would find him no matter what! I promised.” Luke said, saying it before he could stop himself, but Reid just sighed.

“I just meant that if you two aren’t together now then there is a high chance that he didn’t survive.”

“Don’t say that! He promised.” Luke said, too angry to even cry, his eyes itching and burning. “He’s all I have left. Things just can’t be that bleak, it can’t end that way. It won’t! I won’t let it.”

Reid looked startled at the turn of the conversation so he gestured between them. He said, “Then what do you want from me, Mr. Snyder? It’s a lot more than just friendship isn’t it?”

Luke could feel the doctor’s gaze burning at his back, but suddenly words failed him. When the Doctor realized Luke would not respond he sighed again. Luke heard the chair scrape against the wood floor. Footsteps walked away into the hall and Reid shouted as he walked farther into the house. “Just call me when the food is ready.”

It took a while for Luke to begin breathing again. His chest burned, and he could feel wet streaks along his cheeks. He had succeeded in not crying since the incident had broken out. Meeting the doctor had made him so emotional. He shook his head, feeling a headache starting to form behind his eyes as he remembered.

News stories had run ramped with an illness that was spreading like the flu. In between a flurry of outgoing calls to relatives, Luke gathered up the courage to call his boyfriend, and he had cried at the very sound of Noah’s frightened voice. Noah sounded so vulnerable. He really needed Luke, and Luke felt so loved at that moment. This was his chance to reunite their torn souls. They belonged together, and it had taken a devastating global phenomenon to finally make him realize how stupid he had been to just let Noah go off to the other side of the country.

It was a long and lonesome journey that lay before him and that’s where the doctor fit in. He didn’t want to do it alone. It was awful, now that he thought about it, but he just needed another person to accompany him, for his own sanity’s sake at least. That’s the only reason he wanted Reid along.

Wasn’t it?

He wouldn’t kid himself; he found the man attractive. The thought of bedding him wasn’t far from his mind. He hadn’t had sex since Noah and the last time they did that he had still been in college. He grimaced.

He didn’t want to feel this way. Maybe the doctor was right in trying to put a professional wall between them, because every time Reid entered the room, a primal urge came out of Luke. He became blinded by emotions he had only ever had for one man, and it scared him. Looking at it from the doctor’s perspective he was probably uncomfortable with the incessant flirting from a guy. That he didn’t flip the first time he noticed Luke’s advancements, comforted Luke a little bit.

If only he could keep this rational train of thought going before the doctor’s return. He stirred the contents of the pot thinking the food was done; but, he wasn’t ready to call the doctor down yet. Turning off the gas, he pulled out plates and washed them slowly taking care with the precious china. They had survived the apocalypse, and Luke didn’t want them to lose against his slippery fingers. He set the table one piece at a time, arranging the two sets at opposite ends of the table. He needed as much distance from the man as he could even in the small space.

He then proceeded to drain the contents and serve the hot food. He had trouble lifting the pot. His left arm weakened against the strain; it was really getting on his nerves. Hot water spilled on the floor, but he managed to strain the vegetables into a bowl without any casualties. Then he sat at the table and waited. He waited for the courage to call the man down, but he could only rub his aching arm and wait. The steam coming out of the bowl slowly dissipated and the food soon became lukewarm, before he groaned, knowing it wouldn’t taste as good anymore.

He pulled himself out of the chair trudging to the stairs. “Reid,” He began, but stopped. “Dr. Oliver, food is ready.” He hurried back to the kitchen. The doctor sat down as Luke was serving for them, and immediately began eating. Luke hated this about him. When it came to food it was as if everything else faded away. Had he forgotten the tense situation he had left not an hour ago? Luke nestled his arm into the fabric of the sling, before taking his fork in a hand, never taking his eyes off of the amazing sight that was Dr. Oliver eating. At least this gave him time to get his mouth to start working again. After a couple times of opening, and closing repeatedly, he finally got a sentence out.

“I’m sorry if I came off as a little forward.”

Luke didn’t have to wonder if the doctor was even paying attention to anything other than the food because he immediately laughed. “A little?”

Luke knitted his brows feeling heat rising in his cheeks. “I’m sure you don’t appreciate these kinds of advances so I’ll be more careful. I just… I’m just really lonely.” Dr. Oliver stopped stuffing his face and actually seemed to show a hint of sympathy. “You don’t need to explain yourself.”But he lost it almost immediately. “I mean really, if I was a girl and we were both straight we would have already had sex ages ago.” The doctor drove a mouthful of steamed vegetables into his mouth, leaving Luke frozen.

“Um, what?”

“Never apologize for who you are, or what you want. I know I’m too sexy to resist and I won’t hold that against you, Mr. Snyder.”

“Excuse me? I never said you were irresistible.”

“I can see it in your eyes.” Reid lent forward and Luke could have sworn that the way his tongue had come out to lick his lips playfully was his way of flirting. “Anyway,” Reid waved it away, “I’m glad you’re not in denial anymore. It will make parting ways much simpler. No vows of undying love or any of that.”

“I have a boyfriend.” Luke reiterated.

“Exactly. Heal up Mr. Snyder, so you can go off on your way to false hope, and forget about me.” He shoveled more vegetables into his plate leaving the conversation at that. Luke had, on the other hand, lost his appetite.

* * *

 

Luke’s arm had all but completely healed by their fifth day in the house, but he had inevitably developed a foul mood. It became even worse than when he had been ignoring Reid. Now he was resolute into convincing the man to go along with him.

As subtly as he tried to bring up the possibility of traveling together, or even try to divulge where the doctor was going next, he would be immediately shot down. This made Luke more than just a little irritable. Two words could not be passed between them without some sort of fight ensuing. By the morning of the fifth day he couldn’t even remember why he wanted the doctor to travel with him in the first place.

He awoke to sounds of clattering and breaking china. The sky against the window was gray and the house felt oppressive in its darkness. The generator had given out two days ago. The old floorboards were covered with dust so Luke’s footsteps were easy to mask. At the top of the stairs he heard muffled grunts and his fears were lifted for the moment. The doctor’s voice was low, but traveled faintly through the lonely house. Luke debated with himself about getting closer to eavesdrop, but quickly lost that battle.

Rubbing the sleep from his eyes he stifled a yawn as he approached the wall that separated the living room from the kitchen. The sounds of clinking glass didn’t bode well for the good china, and Luke wondered what Reid was doing so early in the morning. The broken pieces were dumped in the sink from the sounds of it, and then it seemed the doctor was rifling through the cupboards. The sounds of cans hitting the counter, and boxes being shaken filled the air and it was a wonder he hadn’t broken anything else. Luke froze as the doctor approached coming out of the kitchen.

The minute he entered the living room Reid jumped nearly to the ceiling as he spotted Luke’s shadowy form in the corner of his eye.

“What the hell is the matter with you? You scared the crap out of me!” Flat up against the opposite wall he pressed a hand over his heart. Luke couldn’t help but laugh a little bit.

“Are you ok?”

“Of course I am.” He grabbed his medical bag and returned to the kitchen, Luke on his heels. Food, medicines, plastic cups, clothes and other things were laid out on the table in two different piles. Luke’s smile disappeared.

“Were you planning on leaving?” Luke questioned angrily.

“Scared I wasn’t going to say goodbye?” The doctor shot back.

“Wouldn’t be the first time,” Reid didn’t respond, just went back to his task. He started packing things into his medical bag, provisions for his own journey. Luke saw his own backpack sitting in one of the chairs. The other pile was for him. Luke didn’t touch his backpack his mind racing with ways of making the doctor reconsider. He had missed the doctor’s demand, lost in his own mind.

“What?”

“I said sit down. Last check up. I just want to see your gunshot wound.”

“If it’s gangrene would you stick around?” Reid eyed him smugly.

“If it was I wouldn’t be a good doctor. It should be healing just fine, although you’ll have a nasty scar.” He gently rolled the bandages away. He had a softer touch than his attitude, and again Luke felt those little bugs in his stomach. “The bullet was still lodged in your bone when I found you; tore some ligament. I can’t believe you still used it when we fought those zombies.”

“Is that a compliment, Doctor?” Reid actually laughed warmly, and Luke thought there was a hint of sadness in his voice. He eyed the doctor, biting his lip as an idea came to him. “I fought the zombies.” He said. “You cowered in the back. Ouch!”

“I’m sorry, what were you saying?” The doctor had a piece of his skin between his fingers, pinching him quiet. He shut up, thinking it better to wait until Reid was done to shoot his mouth off. The bandages came off. Luke felt the cold air hit the exposed skin and it sent a shiver up his arm, but the pain was minimal. It hurt to carry things with that arm, but even the stiffness was starting to go away. Reid passed his thumb over the wound, gently feeling the texture of the tissue, and making Luke squirm uncomfortably.

Reid suddenly exclaimed, “I now discharge you from my care.” He went to his things once again, double-checking all the little compartments in his bag, and Luke got a sinking feeling in his stomach. He was being abandoned again.

“This is it Mr. Snyder. Don’t cry on me now.” Reid joked just making Luke more determined to wipe the smug look off his face.

“Wait.” Luke jumped up rounding the table and making Reid side step the crazed blond.

“Now Mr. Snyder…”

“You can’t go yet.”

“You’re not telling me what to do.”

“So you’re going to throw a grenade in my face?”

“If I had another I would certainly consider it.”

“If you leave you’re going to get yourself killed. You need me.” Luke had failed to see the doctor intimidated but with the way he had backed away from his advances Luke knew he had the upper hand.

“I’ll take my chances.”

“You’re acting like an idiot.” Luke had him backed up to the wall poking a finger in his chest. Reid caught his wrist pushing him back with more force than Luke had anticipated. He stumbled back into the table.

“I’m not taking you with me and that’s final!” Reid took his things. “Good bye Mr. Snyder and good luck with your boyfriend.” He rushed out of the room, but Luke wasn’t done.

“Wait, wait ,wait!” Luke scrambled to reach him and shoving in front of him he braced himself for another shove.

“Move out of the way, Mr. Snyder.”

“Not until you hear me out.”

“I don’t need to do anything, but leave.”

“At least let me show you how to use a gun. You are going to weigh on my conscience.” Reid’s eyes went wide, but Luke continued smugly. “I feel responsible for you. If I let you go out there without being able to at least defend yourself what kind of NRA member would I be?” Luke sneered as he could see that below the surface Reid was bubbling with rage. For a second they didn’t do anything else than just stand there and Luke wondered if Reid would punch him in the face. Instead Reid simply dropped his pack, his eyes dangerous.

“Now I’m hungry!” Reid whipped around heading for the kitchen. “I hope you’re happy.” He said.

Luke thought his heart would burst out of his chest, and he took a couple of seconds for himself.

When he returned to the kitchen the doctor was angrily shoveling down a box of Lucky Charms. He had to check himself and not laugh at the sight, suddenly feeling better just knowing he would have at least another afternoon with the doctor. “Don’t just stare at me. Go on, what are you going to teach _me_?” Luke went blank as to exactly what he was going to do, and it showed on his wary face. The doctor stopped with a handful of balloons, and rainbows in his hand, “Well?”

Luke panicked a little. “Just um…. Hold on one second.” He rushed out the screen door and into the heavily wooded backyard. Images of old westerns Noah had showed him flashed though his head. Next to the door trash bags that had been gathering overgrown weeds caught his attention. One was full of cans waiting to be recycled. He took the bag over to the edge of the property. At one point a prominent fence would have roped off the backyard, but it seemed the owners had never found it all that useful. It was in ruins, posts fallen and beginning to be overgrown. A part of the fence that ran between two old trees looked like a good enough spot. He finished placing five cans along the fence just as the rustling of leaves indicated the doctor had decided to join him outside.

“You have got to be kidding me?” Luke spared him a glance.

“Where are the guns?”

Reid was a little disgusted looking at the shooting range set up for him but he responded, “They’re in the kitchen.” Luke didn’t remember seeing them. Returning to the dim room it took him a second or two to actually spot them. The automatic sat across the chair where his backpack sat and the pistol was snug in the first zipped up pocket.

He sighed. Reid was either really noble or really stupid. He marched straight for the doctor as he stepped outside.

“You know for a pessimist you are stupidly optimistic about this situation.”

“This coming from you?”

Luke checked the clip in the gun, and aimed. “Why would you get ready to leave without a gun? Or is it just your giant ego that makes you think you could charm a zombie into submission.” He shot out all the cans in rapid succession, smiling widely as he turned to face the doctor. The man was not as impressed.

“Well my charm has worked on a lot of brain dead individuals. Present company included of course.” He took the gun from Luke, turning it around in his hands as if it was a strange alien device. “I thought they would be of more use to you anyway.”

Luke put up another set of cans. He turned around to see the doctor aiming the gun at him.

“Hey!”

Reid immediately dropped the gun. “Sorry,”

“First,” Luke picked it up off the ground handing it back at him. “Never, ever point a gun at a survivor.”

“Is that how you got shot?”

He frowned, but eventually said, “Essentially. Now aim for the cans.” Luke took his place a few steps behind the doctor scrutinizing his stance. Reid shuffled uncomfortably, clearly not sure what to do. He turned his body slightly holding the gun up with his prominent hand. He then hesitantly turned the gun sideways. Luke burst out laughing.

“What?!” Reid snarled.

“Nothing, I just didn’t think you were a gangster that’s all.”

“Well, instruct me.”

Luke grabbed his shoulders and squared him. “Let’s try two hands to start off with, alright? Your left hand steadies your shot.” Standing beside Reid, he tried his best to let the doctor do it on his own, but it was frustrating. “Your thumb, move it up some. Don’t be so tense though.” He stepped back after Reid eyed the hand Luke had placed over his with annoyance.

“Go on then!” He said crossing his arms.

Reid took a deep breath, and squeezed the trigger. Somewhere behind the trees, leaves and brush were disturbed but the cans remained. Reid looked back at Luke, but Luke just waved his hand, “Again.”

This went on for the rest of the clip. Not one can had been shot down, but on the up side the doctor felt more comfortable with the gun. His arms were not bolted straight at the elbow anymore as if trying to keep the gun as far away from himself as possible. Luke showed him how to reload the pistol, and they started over.

Reid took a deep breath, “Should we be wasting ammo?” He shot missing again, and cursed softly.

“Ammo for that type of gun is not hard to find. The one for the M-16 I’m not so sure about.” Reid dropped his arms.

“I am not touching that gun.”

“Why not? The more guns you learn how to use the better it will be in the long run.” Reid just turned back to the cans trying again.

“Why are you so adamant about guns?” Luke asked.

“They were never on my bucket list.” He nicked the fence, and the reverberation on the old wood sent two cans toppling over. He smiled, “Two with one shot. Beat that John Wayne.” Luke just rolled his eyes.

They were at it all afternoon, until Reid was at least able to get three out of five cans in rapid succession. Although there had been a large improvement from pacifist to trigger-happy, Luke still didn’t think if it came down to it the Doctor would actually be able to pull the trigger on something that looked so human without some help. Reid sat down next to Luke on the ground, handing him back the gun, and wiping the sweat off his forehead.

“That was a lot more fun than I expected it to be.” He said with a carefree smile Luke liked.

“You should keep it.”

“It’s your gun.”

“Sure, but I would rather keep the M16.” He smiled. “Plus you seem scared of it. Do you still want to practice with it?” Reid took a look at his watch, and then glanced up at the sky.

“I really wanted to get an early start.”

“You never told me where you were going.”

“That was intentional Mr. Snyder. That way if I had picked up and left I wouldn’t have a kicked puppy following after me.”

“I don’t know why I’m still trying.” Luke burst and stood, returning to the kitchen. He shouted as he left, “Just leave. I’m not going to stop you.”

He sat at the table his phone in his hands once again. He hadn’t prayed in a while, but he didn’t know what else to do. He prayed for guidance. He needed to know he wasn’t crazy about this doctor and that Noah was still alive. But above all he just wanted a sign, anything that would point him in the right direction.

“You’re not going to accomplish anything by doing that. If he was out there we wouldn’t still be suffering in this hell.”

“I’m finding more and more reasons to hate you.”

“And yet after all the insults and talking down to you, you still want me to come along don’t you?” He shook his head bemused.

Luke looked at the phone in his hands. “What I want is to reunite with Noah. That’s it; but,” Luke faltered, “I can’t do it alone. I’ve tried and it’s costing me my sanity.”

“And traveling around with _me_ is going to preserve the little sanity you have left? I think the crazy train has already left the station on that one!”  

Luke began to plead against the continued dismissal, and Reid was looking more and more uncomfortable. “Please. I can’t explain it any further.”

“Of course you can’t. Even after we’ve been through this you still want to deny it. Fine, I’ll just be blunt. I won’t be a substitute for your boyfriend. You can deny it all you want, and you can say that you love your boyfriend very much, but by the way you’re acting it seems you two parted on bad terms. You seem too guilty and responsible for this situation. You are **just** looking for someone to comfort you, to be a friend.” Reid laughed. “I don’t want to be friends. I’m not going to drop what I’ve worked for just to keep you company.”

“You’re such a jerk. You talk like you know everything, but you’re just a bigot. Maybe it’s a good thing we’re going our separate ways. I wouldn’t want to bother you with my being gay.”  

Reid reeled up for a response, but almost deflated at the accusation. “What?”

“You haven’t been comfortable with me this whole time. It’s because I’m gay isn’t it?”

“It can’t be because you’re coming off like a cat in heat?”

“And you can’t stand that it’s coming from a dude.”Luke said, and Reid began to laugh.

“Sure Mr. Snyder. Fine! Let’s just leave it at that, shall we. I want to get going.”

“Fine!”

Reid took his things and retreated to the garage where Luke heard an engine start up. He expected Reid to peel out of the driveway immediately, but as he gathered his things the engine just hummed. He grabbed the guns, and took a last look around the house. It had been good while the peace had lasted, the peace from the zombies at least. He sighed. He locked the back door, and did the same with the front, before heading to the garage. If anything the house would serve as a safe haven for other survivors.

The doctor sat on his high horse, his arms crossed and a not so pleasant look on his face.

Luke copied the man and crossed his arms defensively. “I thought you were itching to leave?” Luke tried not to sound so goddamn hopeful. He was starting to confuse himself with all the mixed messages.

 Reid shrugged, “The least I can do is take you to the interstate, maybe help you find a car.”

“Just to the interstate?”

“You’re a big boy, Mr. Snyder.” Reid stated trying to sound cold, but he was faltering. Luke wanted to think he was making some sort of impact, if only he could break through that barrier. The doctor eyed him, “You don’t need a grumpy old man slowing you down.”

“You’re not old.”

Reid smiled as if expecting that response. “I’m in my forties Mr. Snyder. That’s like senile by you whippersnapper’s standards isn’t it?” Luke hid his smile by shifting his stuff around.

“Well, you sound like an old man. That’s for sure.” He mounted the bike, and got a sidelong glance from the doctor.

“I’m sorry. I’ve been difficult.” Before Luke could respond Reid accelerated. He gripped at the doctor’s waist the jolt sending his heart beating wildly.

As they rode into the small town they had passed earlier, the sun finally broke through the heavy treetops. It barely made a dent in the chill that was starting to take into their very bones, but it felt good to finally see it after a week in the darkened house. They stopped at the one gas station in town, and Reid began fiddling with the nozzles. Luke left him at it and walked into the store. The place had been ravaged by survivors and infected alike. There wasn’t anything left to scavenge.

The sun illuminated the broken down service station well, and the dark blood on the ground caught his attention almost immediately. There were large spots all around the store that were weeks old, and Luke could almost picture the struggle that could have taken place. Staring intently at the ground he was alarmed to find fresh blood. Deep red drag marks led around the cashier counter. Cautiously he looked over the counter trying to avoid stepping in any blood, but he almost slipped when he caught sight of a ravaged individual lying dead. His stomach looked like it had been eaten away leaving the cold tile showing through.

Luke gagged beginning to retreat, but there was a soft sound that made him stop. He strained his ears, listening for predator like grunts or growls, but instead he noticed the soft cry of a child. A forgotten flashlight sat on the counter. Turning it on he shined it into the dark corners behind the counter. Around a corner there was a door to a back room and as he tried to get the light as far into the back as possible a small voice gasped and the sobbing continued louder. He had only been able to get a glimpse of a ragged head of ashen hair, before it disappeared into the dark.

“Hello?” He called, still somewhat softly. “Are you alright little girl?” He stepped over the bloody mess getting closer to the pitch black back room. If someone was hurt, Luke knew that Dr. Oliver would be able to help. He reached for the door, but someone took hold of his arm. Had he not heard the man’s familiar grunts of disapproval he would have screamed out right. 

“What are you doing?” Reid had once again adopted the barely audible whisper he had when he felt threatened.

“Don’t you hear that little girl? She could be hurt.” The doctor had his hand firmly over the light, and yanked it from Luke’s hands. He placed a finger over his mouth and motioned for him to retreat. “No. I won’t leave that poor child here by herself.”

“It’s not a child!” They heard the door creak and saw the small figure walk into sight. Barefoot and standing in blood, nothing seemed to faze her. She just stared dead eyed through her grey straw like hair. Luke gasped shifting his body to move towards the girl, but the doctor held him back.

“Are you hurt?” He questioned again, and he could feel Reid tense up, scared over a little girl. He would have laughed had he not spotted the blood coming off her hands, or what looked like claws. As she tilted her head to get a better view of them, her hair fell back and he could see the pieces of tissue, and skin clinging from her crimson lips. But it was the dead eyes that seemed to finally terrify him. It was still whimpering and had begun to approach them. Reid slowly pushed Luke back toward the exit shielding him with his body.

“Don’t startle her.” He couldn’t believe that this child could do much more than wail, but Reid held the flashlight up like a weapon. Luke stepped back over the body, but in his haste Reid couldn’t find a place to put his foot. He slipped on the blood, hitting the ground with a wet smack. The beam of light passed over the girl and something happened. She shrieked as if burned and launched herself over the doctor. Luke’s reaction was a swift kick, and it knocked the girl back the way she came. Reid scrambled up and grabbed the girl by the hair, throwing her back into the back room. He closed the door and pushed a slack-jawed Luke back towards the exit. Even outside they could hear the girl slamming herself against the door, with bone crushing magnitude.

“What the hell was that?”

“Get on we’re not in the clear.”

“What about gas?”

They heard the door splinter, and only got a glimpse of the girl before they were riding away. For a second Luke thought the girl would keep up with them, but she soon gave up deciding her prey was not worth it. The doctor’s clothes were sticky, the blood smearing on to his own clothes. It could have easily been their own blood, the little girl’s sharp nails looking deadly enough to cut through bone.  He gave a little prayer of thanks.

“What is going on Reid? I’ve never seen anything like that before?” Reid tried to explain something, but couldn’t seem to find the right words. He didn’t know if it was a likewise shock, but Luke had a sinking feeling this was not the first time Reid had seen this creature. Finally Reid came to a stop as they entered the interstate but kept the engine running, as if that girl would somehow catch up to them.

“Dammit!” Reid got off of the bike finally turning it off. He was cursing angrily to himself paying no attention to Luke who had to catch the bike before it fell to the ground. He jumped off clumsily going after the serious man.

“Reid,” Luke touched the man’s arm, and that finally caught Reid’s attention. He gave Luke a grave look.

“Listen to me Luke.” Reid said, grabbing him harshly by the arms, almost painfully. “How far are you going?”

“Why do you want to know now?”

“Just answer me!”

“Texas,” He answered quickly. “I’m going to Texas. Why?” There was an inkling of surprise in the doctor’s eyes, but he pressed on. “I’m going to suggest something, and you need to at least consider it, please.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Don’t go.” Luke laughed and the doctor shook him harshly. “I’m not joking.”

Luke frowned. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t go. Things have gotten dangerous, and you’re going to get yourself killed over some stupid broken heart.”

Luke tore away from the doctor’s hold. “Stupid? Don’t talk about things you know nothing about. And why should I listen to you? As of right now we are nothing, right? We’re going our separate ways.” He backed away, locking eyes with the other man and daring him to do something.

“I’m trying to save your life. Again! If you don’t want to listen to me then go off and die, for all I care.” Luke wanted to reply, but wasn’t going to let the man talk to him like that. They barely knew each other and Reid was being an asshole. He had taken it while they were in the house together because he was sick and he was tired, and maybe because he thought the guy was attractive, but this was too much.

Luke opened his mouth, but found he really had nothing to say. His feelings were not easy to convey so he went back to something that was simple. He looked down I-55 and started walking south. After a moment he heard the motorcycle crunching along behind him, but he refused to turn around.

“It’s not safe.”

“It hasn’t been safe, and I’ve managed.”

“Not with something like this believe me.”

“Oh I believe you, I just don’t care anymore. See every time I’ve tried to care you make me feel like shit for it.”

“This is not some sort of teenage squabbling because I have a crush on you, dammit. Something serious is transpiring and I’m trying to warn you about it.”

“Why?”

The doctor groaned, “There’s not a lot of gas left in this bike.”

“Well there’s the road.”

“Luke,” The man pleaded, sounding like he was two seconds away from running him over with the motorcycle.

“Oh! How the tables have turned?”

“Just stop for a second.”

“I need answers Reid, if you can’t put aside your pride and talk to me than just let me go, like you wanted.”

“You are insufferable!”

“You’re a dick.”

“Back at insults, are we?”

“It seems the only time we ever get anywhere is when we argue, so bring on the insults you spineless asshole.” Reid harshly turned him, effectively stopping him in his tracks.

“Alright, you oversized Ken doll, you need to get it in your hollow plastacine head that Barbie’s dream house has always just been that; a dream. This, right here and now, is real, and you have to make decisions for right now. I would rather you live in the horrors of today than get killed following a dream that may never come true. The next survivor camp you find you should think about staying there for the long haul. What we witnessed back there is not supposed to have happened. That was a mutation that shouldn’t have occurred for another hundred generations. This means that the rate of populations of this virus has been accelerated by the environment. If we’ve seen even one of her kind at this point than we can expect from estimations of the extent of the first wave of the virus, that there are going to be at least five hundred thousand mutations like her, and five hundred thousand of every other mutation that happens to occur and survives. Even if survivors are now prepared to deal with zombies, the whole country will be overwhelmed when dealing with that!” Luke was shaking his head.

“Slow down.”

“No, we don’t have time to slow down.” He groaned, looking away. “I don’t apologize very often so you better appreciate this. I am sorry about my attitude. I’m not the easiest person to get along with, and I never asked you to put up with me, but you keep trying. Thank you for that. I just need you to listen to me. Please give up on this Noah guy. Find a nice little commune and settle down because we’re going to be fighting this for a very long time.”

“What about you?” He asked accusingly.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do yet. I should go back to Channing and warn him about this.”

“Wasn’t he holding you captive?”

Reid pulled at his hair in frustration, “Me and half of the smartest doctors the United States had to offer.”

“He’s starting to sound like a mad scientist set on world domination.”

Chuckling, Reid said, “Don’t give him too much credit. All he did was take power during chaos, and any dictator can do that.” Reid picked up the fallen bike and put the kick stop up. He sat down on the bike sounding defeated. “You know this is the first year my boss was able to twist my arm into going to that damn masturbatory event they call a medical convention. A weekend in St. Louis; I was ready to shoot myself.”

“And that’s when the virus hit?” Luke moved to sit next to the doctor facing the opposite direction.

“Yes. Some doctors got out before the airports shut down and the quarantines went up, because their own hospitals were being overwhelmed with the disease. I can’t tell if I’m envious of them or not. But I was a big neurosurgeon and I wasn’t needed for something that looked like the flu. By the time it got bad Channing had already wrapped a division of the army to secure the best minds in the country, and an official mandate from the President to start developing a vaccine.”

“There’s a cure?” That was the first time Luke had even heard of any way of combating the zombies other than a gun to the head. He held his breath as Reid placed his hands on his knees sounding exhausted.

“No.”

“Then what is Channing still doing?” Luke said angrily.

“He doesn’t believe it Luke. Once the virus attacks it eats away at the parts of your brain responsible for sympathy and communication. It makes people aggressive, it makes them monsters. There is no reversing the effects of brain damage. And its incubation period is so quick there is not even a way to try and contain it.”

“You saw all this in the lab? Were you infecting people?”

“No. These are natural mutations we saw within rats, and already infected individuals. But Channing certainly wanted to. That was the final straw. I’m a doctor not a freaking Nazi. I couldn’t stay there anymore after that. I couldn’t argue with him about the ethical ramifications of infecting healthy people.” Reid made a weird noise in the back of his throat, and smiled. “I’m usually the one having a lecture over ethics. Now I know how my superiors felt.” The sound Luke realized was a strained laugh, that didn’t know if it was coming or going. Reid sighed and softly asked, “Why do you think I was intent on getting you away from Channing and his dogs?”

“I thought you had left me behind at the hotel.”

“You’re lucky I had to pee that morning.” He crossed his arms defensively. “If I hadn’t been up when I was I wouldn’t have been able to sneak away and grab my bike.”

Luke felt the man slump a little into him, putting his weight on his side but Luke straightened up exclaiming, “We have to stop him.”

“Whoa! Hold on a second, there is no we, and there is no stopping him either. The most I was going to do is slip a note under his door and sneak away.”

“Like a dog with your tail between your legs?”

“Hey, I’m walking away alive in that analogy so call me what you will. And why the hell do you care, not once did I say the name Noah. The more you ask to travel with me the more I think you’re in love with me.” Luke’s eyes widened and his mouth again tried to form some sort of protest.

“I love Noah.”                                              

“Than what do you think of me, and it would help if you looked at me.” Even though he found the ground quite fascinating, he complied. The seat on the motorcycle was small and they sat side by side. When he turned his head their faces were close enough that he could feel Reid’s heavy breathing against his skin. An uneasy feeling crept into his stomach at the smile now playing on the doctor’s face. He felt a warm hand against his cheek and he couldn’t help but willfully lean into it.

“But, you… you’re not… are you?”

Reid whispered, “Your naivete is so adorable it makes me sick.” And then he was lost. Anger, passion, tension, fear and everything else that had been plaguing his mind faded away at the pressure on his lips. It gave him relief from the months of torture he had been enduring.

Lust was the first emotion to impact him and take control of his fervid actions. He wanted much more than this tame kiss. Awkwardly, he shifted himself around the bike, trying to not break contact. If he did the regret might soon take over, and he wasn’t ready to start feeling sorry about anything he was doing.

Luke pulled the doctor as far into the embrace as physically possible. He gripped at the shaggy hair, and dug his nails into his back wanting nothing more than to never breathe again if it meant breaking the kiss. Somehow they ended up on the warm asphalt. Reid’s hands were under his shirt, and Luke tried desperately to resist reaching into the loose clothing for Reid’s penis because an awful feeling began to break into the sexual intimacy. Their thrusting and sloppy kissing subsided into reasoned self-restraint.

Soon they were just sitting in the middle of the road, their hands still reaching out wanting to grope. Heavily panting Reid looked up at the sun, and Luke knew exactly what he was thinking. The sun was dangerously sinking and it was time to find shelter. They mounted the motorcycle without a word, and Reid once again took the reins.

Luke couldn’t help but let the feelings fester, and soon the whole euphoria was drained from his body and he felt sick. Regret had taken hold and he wished he could have been brave enough to ignore the doctor and press on towards Texas. He felt the man intertwine their hands, in a gesture Luke would never have expected.  Luke sighed, things were officially more complicated.


	4. Chapter 4

They had hastily scoped out an old motel, and found it more than suitable for their needs. As much as Luke’s mind kept racing to what two people could do in a hotel room to pass the time, these weren’t ideal circumstances. They changed their bloody clothes, and slept in individual queen sized beds because somehow they knew hormones could only last so long before trouble reared its ugly head again.

Besides, Luke was too far gone in his own self loathing to do much else than curl into an adequate sleeping position and brood.

The next morning Luke woke up before Reid. Bleary eyed and confused, he found that for the first time in a long time he could remember the dream he had just been experiencing. He wiped away at the tears that were now treading down the side of his face. It wasn’t as much a dream as the memory of the Thanksgiving he had been hurt and in a wheelchair. He smothered his face in the pillows trying his best to keep the images of his family as crisp as he could. His family was so big it was hard to try and catch one last glimpse of them all before the fleeting dream went on its way. But the last person that his tired mind focused on was again one of the only people still living from that memory. Noah was smiling next to him before even that too faded.

He rolled onto his back and stared at the strange ceiling, trying to recall memories of that time. The accident had been traumatizing. He closed his eyes against the rush of emotions. It had not only left him in a wheelchair, but he was emotionally broken, feeling ugly; unlovable. When he woke up in the hospital after the accident Noah had been absent. Maybe that meant something. He had been abandoned. The depression hit harder than ever. Even when Noah had shown his face the relief that followed was almost not enough to save him from those feelings. Since then he had always been overprotective of his relationship with the man.

_Could he be any more pathetic?_

But Noah had stayed, Luke thought smiling to himself. Their relationship had never been an easy one, but they had lasted when even his parents were off sleeping around with old flames. They had stayed faithful and they had tried. For three years it had been enough to just try, but things had just become so frayed and fragile by the time Noah had decided to study at the University of Texas. He had said he needed space, a break from them, time out and Luke had willingly let him go. He had been tired of protesting. They had lasted for a long time maybe a short break would be good for them. They were soul mates after all. Meant for each other. He would show him that when he reached Texas, just how much they were meant for each other.

So why was he considering helping out this doctor of his? Why was he making out with him on the side of the road? Was the simple pull in his groin enough to make him doubt the love he had put so much work in for so long?

There was a knock at the door. Reid groaned sleepily, but Luke was up already searching for his gun.

“Hello, is anyone in there?”

“Who wants to know?” Luke peeked through the blinds on the windows by the door

Reid gruffly scoffed pulling the covers off of himself and rubbing his face angrily. “Nice going, now they know we’re in here.” Luke shook his head, keeping an eye on the older gentleman now standing at their door.

“Please, my wife, she’s dying. If you have anything that could help her, maybe even take the pain away.” His voice was cracking and his fist still lightly pounded on the door.

“I have a doctor with me hold on.”

“Are you stupid? Don’t open the door.”

Luke paused with his hand on the doorknob. “What do you mean?” The doctor was sitting with a hand massaging his neck. “Really, trusting people Luke? That can be dangerous.”

“I trusted you.” The doctor sighed, as another anxious plea came from beyond the door. He pulled on his pants that were discarded next to the bed and pointed at the gun in Luke’s hand.

“Let’s play completely naïve shall we? Hide it unless we need it.” Luke eyed the man but complied and put the gun in the band of his jeans, lowering the oversized shirt over it.

Reid grabbed his medical bag and answered the door.

“Well?” He said.

“Are you the doctor?”

“No, I’m the lovely assistant.” He said sarcastically. The man’s confusion just made Reid roll his eyes. “I thought we were on a time limit or would you rather us banter while your wife dies?” The man backed away a little horrified, and Luke didn’t blame him.

“Uh, this way.” They followed the man who looked to be in his sixties, and Luke hoped Reid wasn’t still on the defensive.

“Were you attacked?”

“Yes, it was horrible. We don’t understand how this happened.”

“You two must be older than dirt itself. How could you outrun the living dead?” The man stopped, giving him an incredulous look.

“How dare you! I should…” The man went to pull something from his coat, but Luke stepped in front of the doctor.

“What did I tell you Luke? You can’t trust anyone.” Reid was saying.

“You provoked this you idiot!” Luke held his hands up to show he was unarmed. “He can be brash but believe me he is a good doctor.” The man grumbled something to himself and put the gun away. They walked toward the highway following the man to a fast food restaurant up the road. Luke noticed the windows had all been shattered, and more distressing yet the walls of the place were littered with bullet holes, but he didn’t see any dead zombies anywhere on the ground. The woman was lying up against one of the walls the front of her shirt soaked in blood and her eyes blinking slowly. Her gray hair was plastered to her face, the sweat gleaming brightly against the pale skin. Reid cursed.

“What happened?” Reid gently moved the woman’s layers of clothes, and as she weakly protested her husband tried to quiet her.

After whispering to her with tears beginning to form in his eyes the husband responded. “We’re not senile Mr. Big Shot. We were traveling north with our daughter and son-in-law. We hadn’t met something we hadn’t been able to kill yet, and we’ve started seeing some weird things.” Reid eyed Luke gravely.

“What kinds of things?” Luke interrupted before he could stop himself.

The man frowned looking a little annoyed. “Just last week as we were passing through a good sized city something attacked us. It was getting close to dusk and we were prepared for day walkers or even early risers, but we weren’t prepared for what attacked us. Something caught hold of John dragging him away as if on a rope or something. It wasn’t until we caught up to him that we saw what had him strung up was like a tongue!” Luke couldn’t help his look of disgust.

“A tongue?”

“Don’t ask me how but we saw a figure standing on a rooftop and it looked like the tongue was still attached to him. We cut the thing and it disappeared.” The woman groaned as Reid revealed gunshot wounds in the woman’s stomach. The man dropped to her side holding her hand.

“She was shot?” Luke got two raised eyebrows one from each of the men at his feet. He asked again, “What happened?”

The man’s voice began to crack. “I don’t know. Army vehicles were hurtling by us when one of them stopped. They began interrogating us. They kept asking if we had seen a blond man with an injured left arm or a doctor by the name of Oliver something.” Reid had decided not to make any overt looks of recognition at his own name, but Luke couldn’t believe what he was hearing and couldn’t stop his face from reacting.

"When they didn’t get any answers they took my daughter.” He was trembling. “And then they took John as well. I tried to stop them but they were armed out their asses. My wife wouldn’t back off and when she went after our Sara they shot her.” He shook his head putting his wife’s bloody hand to his head.

“This happened more than a couple of hours ago didn’t it?” Reid finally spoke up his eyes knitted, and his clothes now covered with blood.

“It happened just as the sun was coming up.” Now it was probably ten, but Luke couldn’t be sure which meant she had been losing blood for four hours or more. Reid bent over the woman looking her in the eyes.

“You’ve been very strong.” He said,  then he looked over at her husband. “There is nothing I can do, and she’s not feeling any pain at this point. She’s just barely registering anything anymore.” He got up smoothing his pants and leaving bloody hand prints across the fabric.

The husband cried, holding his wife close muttering last loves and sentiments. Luke couldn’t stand to watch it anymore and they both somberly stood outside to give the man some privacy. Words were hard to come by, so they just stood side by side, waiting. Luke knew it was hard enough to survive in this world of the living dead, but he had learned to deal with that horror. He couldn’t understand why anyone would intentionally hurt another survivor. How could a person go and gun down the last of their species? He had silently been crying, and hastily wiped away the tears not wanting Reid to say anything.

“Why is this happening, Reid?” The doctor didn’t answer for a while his eyes averted.

Reid said solemnly. “Channing was right.”

“What!?”

“I have a responsibility to these people that he’s hurting. I should have stopped him a long time ago.”

“Then we’re going back to St. Louis?” Reid shook his head. “Come on, you can’t do this alone.” Luke said.

“I can’t run away anymore, but I’m not going to put you in harm’s way. Do what you want. Go to your boyfriend, or take my advice and find a nice farm with some survivors and make a living far away from the cities and the infected, either way you have to get as far away from St. Louis as possible.

“You’re trying to get rid of me again.”

“Luke,”

“I can’t see it any other way, Reid.”

“This isn’t your fight, Luke. There’s no reason for you to have been brought into this.”

“But he’s looking for me too!”

“Because of me. I wanted to save you and now you’re being chased by that crazed lunatic. I don’t want any more blood on my hands.” Reid happened to look down at his hands and began rubbing them furiously on his long sleeves.

The gruff sore voice of the old survivor sounded from behind them. “So you’re the doctor they were hunting. They broke up my family for you. Why? You’re useless!” It seemed like he had wanted to yell, but it came out in a harsh broken shudder instead.

“I’m sorry.” There hadn’t been anything he could do for the woman and still Reid apologized. He had done nothing more than confirm the man’s fears. “I’m going to stop this.”

“Then I’m coming with you. I need to get my daughter back.” Reid didn’t protest, but Luke did.

“Then I’m coming too.” Reid rubbed his face harshly leaving blood smears against his face. He mumbled harshly, “You’re going to be the end of me.” And Luke felt his heart skip a beat.

Reid turned to the older gentleman and extended his hand. “Dr. Reid Oliver and this is my lovely assistant Luke Snyder.”

The man eyed them strangely before shaking Reid’s hand, “William Collins.”

Luke rubbed his arms as the morning chill ran up his body and he nervously asked, “And your wife?”

“She’s gone. I would like time to put her in the ground if you don’t mind.” Reid almost made a scoffing noise but Luke had begun agreeing in an effort to cover it up.

Reid left without another look at William. “We’ll be at the motel gathering our things. Don’t take too long.” Luke gave the man a sympathetic nod, and turned to go, but he was stopped. Reid had walked well out of earshot, but the man still whispered.

“I’m this close to shooting his jaw off and I’ve barely met the man.” Luke wanted to laugh, but the man was being serious. He said, “Will other people be as hesitant as I am?” The smile was wiped off of Luke’s lips and the man let go of his sleeve. William wiped at his gleaming eyes and left Luke to answer the question on his own.

Luke noticed he was shivering as he approached Reid.

“Reid?”

“I don’t get you, Luke.” Luke fell in step with the man, confused about the sudden statement. “Are you just an idealistic goody? You want love, you want peace on earth, and you want a cure for humanity? Is that all that’s fueling you, all that makes you tick?”

“I want normalcy, that’s all.” Reid chuckled.

“What’s so funny?” Luke said.

"I wonder what your answer will be the next time I ask.” Reid said.

Stepping into the warm motel room, Luke decided to ignore the last statement focusing instead on gathering their simple belongings, and making the beds. Reid quickly changed into something that wasn’t bloody, and found he was again down to his final shirt. Clothes just did not last in the apocalypse. As they sat down for breakfast, their things at the door, William joined them. No matter what Luke offered the man he refused to eat, he just watched the two men finish their breakfast.

“What’s the plan?” William asked sternly. Reid was feeling the texture between his fingers, before wiping them against the new shirt.

“Did they head back the way they came after your encounter with them?”

“No. They continued down the road.”

“So they’re just snatching people off the side of the roads,” Clearly Reid was talking to himself, focusing on a distant point on the floor. He stood up suddenly, placing his hands behind his back he took on the role of leader to William’s chagrin. “Alright, they should be out most of the day. Collecting samples,” He said sounding disgusted.

“How do you know that?” William was searching for reasons to undermine Reid, to find a reason to shoot him in the mouth Luke thought, just barely keeping his thinly veiled hatred at bay.

“That’s what Channing had us doing.” Luke couldn’t contain his look of horror, and Reid became defensive. “Don’t look at me like that. Snatching survivors is new. Before they would just make us go along and choose zombies to bring back. All night I might add. If they left this early I’ll assume Channing is still running by the old schedules. We can take advantage of this. Do you remember who questioned you?”

“Soldiers,”

“Repetition isn’t going to help I need details. Let’s play which one was not like the other.” The Doctor said with a strained smile on his lips.

William struggled to remember. “It all happened so fast. They surrounded us and forced us apart. There was someone giving orders but I never got a glimpse of the man. There was also a woman in a lab coat. She injected something to knock them out before loading them in to the back of a van.”

Reid laughed under his breath, asking “A dark skinned, black haired petite woman?”

“Yes.” He replied cocking an eyebrow.

“The only woman Channing let’s out of the facility is Chaudry.” Reid Explained. “She’s the only person he trusts. Although I never understood what she sees in him? And I thought she wouldn’t have allowed such tactics.” He added as an afterthought, “I guess love will make you do stupid things…” But he trailed off, as he animatedly continued.

Anyway, Channing won’t let her go out without his own supervision so hopefully that means he’s not at the hospital. If I can get in and talk to some colleagues before he gets back I could probably stop him from automatically throwing me to the test subjects.” With that Reid hurried them out of the dingy motel. They couldn’t find a working vehicle for William and Reid tried to rope Luke into staying because there wasn’t enough room on his motorcycle for all three of them. Luke put a good enough fight and William was now fed up with the both of them. He told them to get a head start and he would figure something out. Reid gave him the location of the hospital and they said their goodbyes. As Reid was about to pull away William stopped them.

“Here,” He handed them a walkie-talkie. “This was my wife’s, and I have the other ones. This is how my family kept in touch if we had to separate. Contact me if there’s any trouble so I know what I’m getting myself into.” Luke took the yellow device, and pocketed it in his jacket like a companion to his cell phone. He was grateful for it, but Reid took off with just a nod and a cocky smile before he could say anything.

The landscape was still as beautiful as ever. The trees were beginning to show just why the chill that bit at their face leaving them painfully raw was worth it. Fall meant harvests and he would be at grandma Emma’s any chance he had to help out with the farm. But the recent years had been hectic with his Aunt Meg’s mental lapse. They had even spent the previous year’s Thanksgiving rushing from one family event to another not really caring just going through the motions for the children’s sake.

The Snyder’s were deteriorating, squabbling with each other and just struggling to keep the children in a normal environment. It all seemed so stupid now. Now there was no repairing the damage. What had the promises of love and ‘till death do us part’ accomplished. Just as the towering arch came into view a disembodied voice came out of the walkie. They heard the sound of an engine on the other end, and William confirmed he had found a car. It wouldn’t be long now. Luke was starting to get a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach. His heavy pocket was like a reminder that something was weighing on his soul.

He should be traveling in the opposite direction. He should be going towards Noah. This was going much farther than he had wanted. All he had wanted was a companion, a friend. This was turning into something else quicker than his head had a chance to process it. He tried to shut away the voices in his head, and reminded himself that he was doing something good. He needed to focus on this to refrain from thinking about anything else. But this determination was distressing Luke, making it hard to breath. No, he couldn’t break down now. He had lasted long enough without having to face his feelings, he wasn’t going to do it now of all times. His mind raced with should haves, and could haves that if he didn’t stop it would crush any resolve he had to do what his heart was telling him was the best course of action.

“Are you ok?” Reid’s voice broke through the thundering air. Luke felt the bike begin to slow, and he gripped harder at the doctor.

“No! Don’t stop!” This seemed to worry the doctor even more, so Luke quickly added. “I’m just…. That woman shouldn’t have died. What kind of monster would order to shoot a mother trying to save her daughter?” Reid gripped at Luke’s hand, but Luke couldn’t stand his touch. Instead he stuffed his hands in his pockets, painfully gripping the bike with his legs. Luke ran a thumb over his cell phone, and closed his eyes. When this was over they would need to have a long talk. Luke needed to go back to chasing his dream because this had been one big nightmare.

The streets became congested once again but Reid’s expert maneuvering got them through to the hospital that was now acting as the United States medical response to the virus. The fuel needle threateningly dropped toward empty and Reid grudgingly left it on the side of the road, leaving them to walk the rest of the way. Their packs were heavy on their backs making their journey slow, and quiet as the city loomed around them. The silence was eating away at Luke’s fragile state of mind, but neither of them would talk. The eminent confrontation that lay ahead was enough to keep them from sharing any ominous inner thoughts. They approached the giant building without incident, but Reid diverted to a large parking lot. The shadow of the buildings cast over the lot left it like most of the city, cold and dark with the sun reflected only through window panes to get caught in a hurried glance over your shoulder.

“Where are we going?” Luke asked. Reid was craning his neck around muttering to himself.

“I left something important in my rental care. But of course I don’t remember where I parked it.” He said. They navigated a while until Reid let out a shout of recognition.

“I remember seeing that giant ad from the car.” He said, and soon Reid had brought them to a garish orange car that Luke couldn’t help but laugh at.

Reid just pursed his lips as he tried to explain how it had been the only thing left to rent. Reid dug through his bag until the doors to the car automatically opened. Reid popped open the trunk and asked Luke to look in the back seat for tasers he had bought back when he had taken some stupid self defense classes. Luke chuckled and climbed into the back seat searching the clean interior for anything resembling a taser. He was about to turn around when he felt a sting on his thigh. When he went to slap it away he saw the syringe lying on the seat next to his legs. He felt the strength leave his body as he tried to focus on Dr. Oliver, but the effects of the drug were slowly taking his consciousness away. He knew he was pleading but his body had already gone limp and he could only manage a whimpering sound. He heard Reid’s voice washing over him like waves, but he could no longer register the frequency. He thought about Noah in the last seconds before he was lost to the darkness but it was little comfort in these moments of fear and uncertainty.


	5. Chapter 5

“Get in, get in!”

Luke tried to reach out and grasp the last bits of unconsciousness but something pushed him into a crumpled position. He heard one door after another shut loudly; three in total and then he heard the moans that finally snapped him out of the daze the drug had put him under.

“What’s going on?” He curled up beginning to kick the people who had now joined him in the backseat of the car. The man on the receiving end of the kicks was not happy about it in the slightest.

“If you don’t stop I swear I’ll beat you to a bloody pulp, regardless of what Dr. Oliver said.” Luke’s mind ceased fighting long enough to finally focus on the person sitting next to him. William, looking no worse than the last time they had seen each other, sat with a very relieved look coming over his face.

Something pounded on the car windows, moaning. The city was pitch black, dark except for the stars in the night sky, but Luke knew zombies had the car surrounded. Movement in the front seats made him scream only to have whoever was sitting there make a frustrated noise.

“Can we go now?” said the stranger in the driver’s seat. The car began to shake as more bodies were clawing at the exterior trying to get in. A small woman in the passenger’s seat who was visibly shaking failed not to shriek when she said, “Please!”

“Give me the keys, Bill!” The man said, and Luke caught a sheepish look pass over the older man’s face as he fished out the keys from the many pockets of his heavy jacket. Luke just looked around horrified, his mind slowly regaining a semblance of normal processes. The engine whined on and the man hit the gas sending them jerking around the car as he gleefully ran over their pursuers.

“Who are you people? And where is Reid?”

“Well aren’t you just a ray of sunshine.” The driver responded hitting another zombie with a whoop of joy. Luke looked out the windows noticing how cars in front and around the hospital had been forcefully moved to have a way for vehicles to come and go with more ease. And the car sped quickly away from the hospital, as chaos overran the streets. There were groups of men and women fighting off a hoard of roaming zombies as they tried to flee to safety. From the headlights of their hurtling car Luke could see lab coats and camouflage uniforms. He turned back to William, finally seeing another woman squeezed in behind him, holding onto him for dear life.

With another jerk of the car, the woman at William’s side spoke up. “John, honey, please slow down.”

“Slow down? I’m trying to get us as far away from this hell hole as possible. That we’re bringing her along is just crazy!” The small woman in the passenger seat became even smaller.

“I don’t like this idea any more than you do.” She said, voice matching her size.

“Well then, we’re in agreement and you can just get out of the car!”

“John!” William couldn't contain his anger, “Drive the car and shut up!”

“She helped them! They killed Maggie! We’re supposed to just let that slide? We should tie her to a lamp post and…”

“John!”

Even with the warning from half of the people in the car John did not have time to avoid the stop light. Luke could just watch in horror as the post jolted their car to a crushed halt, before he was thrown forward. He ended up crumpled on the floor of the car something hard digging into his back, and another person collapsed over him. The woman, Sara if he remembered correctly as John’s wife, was not responsive as he tried to push her off of him. To make matters worse, whatever he had landed on was slowly breaking skin, and certainly leaving a bruse. He needed to move.

“Anybody alive?” He shouted and only got half alive moaning as a response, which could have easily come from friend or foe. He shifted around until he could squeeze his hand into the space behind him. As his fingers grazed it, something hit the window near his side of the car and some glass fell into his face. Craning his head back he saw the window shattered and only being held together by a thin dark film. Beyond it stood a shadowed figure curiously looking at the car. His arm twisted into a very strained position, and the pain was a sure sign that he shouldn’t be twisting his healing arm that way. But there was no other choice. The woman had his other arm pinned between them and it was impossible to move.

There was another groan. Thankfully this one was from someone in the front of the car. It sounded like William. How he had ended up there was anybody’s guess; Luke was just glad he sounded alive.

“Is everybody ok?” William grumbled, Luke couldn't see him from his position on the floor of the car.

“Your daughter is breathing but she’s crushing me!” Luke whined as his arm finally reached something metal. Running a finger across the shape he instantly knew what it was. His pistol and the M16 were slowly cutting their shapes into his back. He somehow nudged them off to the side, and was relieved to feel Sara stir above him. She put a hand on his chest trying to haul into a sitting position, her weight would surly crack his sternum. Finally he got his good arm out from under her and he just pushed her off. Dazed she easily rolled over onto the seats groaning softly, “Dad”.

The figure outside had brought along some friends who were now straining the thin sheet of glass, and raining more pieces on his head. Taking the pistol he aimed and shut his eyes. He was sure he hit something because not only glass, but globs of blood hit his face. He moved into a sitting position, wiping his face with a sleeve as the car began to be rocked by the zombies that were approaching in droves. They needed to escape this death trap.

“Does anybody else have any weapons?” He said.

Sara responded by pulling out a pistol from her jacket pocket, her head still firmly held in one hand. William just grumbled in agreement as he tried to get a response from his son-in-law still slumped over the slowly deflating air bag. They needed time to regroup and shake off the daze, so slinging the automatic over his shoulder he kicked the door open knocking some clambering zombies out of his way.

Luke drew their attention and ran a couple paces away to get them away from the car, before unloading the automatic in their faces. He had no ammo that he knew of so this was a last ditch effort before they got the hell out of there. He was easily drawing attention to himself, even as more gunshots sounded all around the hospital. Before he knew it he was overwhelmed and fighting hand-to-hand to knock back the crowding monsters that were on him faster than he could dispose of them.

Knocking one back with the end of his gun, he was too late to stop a zombie from grappling him from behind. The arms were tight around his neck, the fingers digging harshly into his skin; painfully they drew blood. He couldn’t do much but struggle, trying to fling the thing over his shoulder.

Bullets whizzed by his head, and the zombie released it’s hold collapsing into a pile on the ground. Turning back towards the car he saw the passengers out and ready to go, but his gaze lingered on the small, dark skinned woman who now had an automatic in her hand. She looked haggard and extremely frightened but she held the gun like a pro, her hands still enough to shoot at such a distance, with great accuracy.

Luke’s heart stilled long enough for him to shout, “Never aim at a survivor,” But he stopped short.

He approached the woman who was dressed in scrubs and a lab coat. “Doctor,” Luke said, before he looked around frantically, the blood in his head began to rush, and the absence of his doctor becoming all the more pronounced.

“Where is Dr. Oliver?” He asked.

William ran past with a semi-conscious John slung around his shoulders, “This is not the time. We need to get to safety.” Sara followed her father, weapon raised, diligently watching her boys’ backs and taking out zombies as she went along. The doctor shoved past him, gaze averted as she hurried behind the reunited family. Luke grabbed her arm.

“Where is he?” She didn’t look at him; instead her eyes darted around frantically. For a second they landed worriedly at the hospital, and that was all Luke needed.

“Where are you going?” She exclaimed, her voice strained against a thick accent.

“Reid,” Was all he said.

He was fed up with all of this and it was time he ended it. This whole experience had taken his emotions and blended them into a fine liquid that was slowly pulsing through his veins filling him with a potent and unstable mixture. He heard William try and call him back but it didn’t take long for him to give up. He had gotten what he came for. He had no claim in this fight anymore.

As the doctor pulled and pleaded with him to stop, Luke had a second of doubt.

Near death they say that life flashes before your eyes. Memories of his family and Noah were running on a loop in his brain, stuck on fast forward. Every happy moment was being revised and yet he had not one pleasant memory of Reid. What memories could they have? They had known each other for a week. So what was he really trying to save?

He whipped the butt of the gun at anything that approached cracking skulls before they could get any closer. It was like his mind was on auto-pilot, and he couldn’t do much else but surrender to it or break down. The doctor would not give up, and go back to the other survivors. She stubbornly held onto Luke, even when he tried to shake her off. As his muscles began to ache and his memories began to burn out like the overused reels on a movie projector he began to understand her words, “mustn’t! I promised him we would leave the city. We need to get out of here.”

“Reid should know by now I don’t listen to him?” She let go and Luke pulled in front of her.

“Well I will.” She said determinedly. He looked back, feeling time was short for some reason. She was holding up her automatic, but now it was shaking as she aimed squarely for Luke’s heart.

“I don’t know what he told you, but he’s wrong.” He walked away, hearing as the woman choked on a protest.

Soon she was trudging alongside him. They spoke in low hushed tones, but only about their surroundings and the sudden lack of creatures. A couple of shots continued to ring out in the distance, but only the truly dead lay sprawled on the ground at their feet. The woman pulled long strands of black hair out of her face, her eyes never focused on one thing, instead they raced around trying to gather as much information as she could in the darkness.

As they made their approach through a man made car blockade around the entrance, Luke noticed the hospital was not completely dark. The doctor mentioned they had fought hard to use the few generators they had efficiently. That meant keeping energy usage at a minimum, and as they made their way through the dark lobby, only one light in the distance remained as a guide. And it was not enough for them to avoid the scattered remnants of the old hospital. Luke soon realized he had to rely on the doctor and followed as close as he could.

The farther into the hospital they went the less responsive she was. She numbly walked through the halls, head hung low, but still expertly maneuvering around crash carts, and wheel chairs to Luke's amazement. But it wasn’t long before they were up seven flights of stairs and the doctor had begun hyperventilating.

“Are you alright?” He touched her back, but she swatted his hand away.

“I...” She heaved a giant breath, “I can’t… I don’t want to… him!” He heard a door higher up the flight heavily close shut, and the doctor let out a cry. Luke raised his weapon, the sound of footsteps coming closer to them were almost completely drowned out by the now hysterical cries. Dr. Channing came down the stairs in an almost flourish, and he was smiling. When he saw Luke and the gun in his face, his smile grew even bigger.

Dr. Channing went to embrace the doctor but Luke got in his way.

“Now, now, Mr. Snyder we wouldn’t want someone to get shot.” He said, fearlessly touching the barrel of the automatic and lowering it. Luke was trembling, and it was the only outward appearance that showed he was frightened, his face glaring at the man. Channing pushed passed him and caught Chaudry in a hug, turning her to face him. She struggled weakly, but ultimately gave in to the touch.

“I knew you’d come back, Neeti, my beautiful girl.” He kissed her softly, even as she continued to sob quietly.

“Where is Reid?” Channing turned with a dangerous look on his face not having liked the intimate moment being interrupted.

“Give me your weapons, and I’ll give you your doctor.” Neeti cried a little louder at the command, as if telling him not to comply, but he gave the automatic to the doctor.

Channing pointed it back at him, “I said weapons, Mr. Snyder.” He said.

“That’s the only one I have.”

“Bull shit. Neeti?” She stayed unusually quiet, and that in and of itself was damning enough.

“Give me whatever other weapon you have?” Channing said, and Luke pulled his pistol from the hem of his jeans.

The doctor looked satisfied, with two guns in his hands, and motioned for him to climb. Luke heard distant crashes far from outside the hospital and he wondered if all the people he had seen fleeing earlier had been military personnel and hostage doctors. They seemed utterly alone within the facility, the only souls for miles.

Channing directed them onto one of the floors. There were more lights turned on here, and he could see they were on a lab floor. They passed rooms with large paned windows, showing the inside of large rooms. All the rooms were empty, but all shockingly were torn to pieces. Where counters and equipment once stood now deep scratch marks filled the walls, or whole chunks of wall were smashed to bits. One room’s wall had been completely torn down, as if a car had run through it.

The corridor opened up into a large hall and at the far end was a figure collapsed against the wall.

“Reid!” Luke exclaimed. He couldn’t contain the immediate response and he rushed over to him, Channing doing nothing to stop him. As he approached he could see Reid was a bloody mess. Someone had pummeled him, leaving dark purple bruises and busted bloody welts on the visible parts of his body. His face had seemed to have gotten the brunt of the torture. It was bloated and when he looked up at the call of his name, one eye was swollen shut. Luke looked back at Channing who was massaging a clearly blood covered knuckle looking quite pleased with himself.

“You shouldn’t have come,” Reid rasped in what could have been taken as a reprimand, but the finger like bruises on his neck showed that he was having trouble voicing much more than an elevated whisper.

Luke was at a loss for words, staring in horror at the person he had come to reluctantly care for tied up and beaten passed clear recognition. He pushed past the bile that choked up his throat and responded with his gaze averted. “I owed you one.”

“No, you didn’t.” Luke’s gaze snapped back to him feeling tears sting at his eyes. Channing had been hanging back, watching with a sick amusement but quickly chided as Luke went to undo the crude extension cord Channing had used to bind Reid.

“Come now Luke, it’s time to end this.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A cure, a vaccine!” He cheerily responded. “Bring in the infected.”

From a side door two soldiers emerged holding on to a violent zombie in a straight jacket. Another soldier followed close behind, but went straight for Luke. Luke backed away, but there was nowhere to run. The soldier stopped a little ways away, waiting to pounce if Luke decided to run.

“Luke, I tested your blood and there was something different. I had already postulated that survivors have stronger immunities to the virus-”

Reid interjected, “I postulated that,”

Luke couldn’t believe Reid was still giving lip in his position. Channing didn’t like it, but he continued with a sever edge to his voice, “But I believe that your blood produces the right anti-bodies to combat the disease completely.”

“On what grounds?” Reid spluttered sounding alarmed and sending chills up Luke’s spine. Channing’s hands which had been animated, scrunched up into fists at Reid’s exclamation.

“Shut him up will you.” He ordered the soldier who stood near Luke. With one swift motion the soldier fiercely knocked Reid in the mouth with his gun. Luke could only flinch, watching the blood seep from Reid’s already bruised mouth. They were out manned, and had no weapons. He had grossly underestimated the situation. Whatever stupid plan Reid had cooked up on his own had gone wrong, and now he had thrown himself into the mix and failed just as miserably. His hands shook at his side, and it was the smallest of motions that reminded him of what he had in his pocket.

Maybe.

Maybe he could let William know just how dire the situation was.

“Your turn will come soon enough Oliver. You will be the control in my little experiment. Get the syringes ready with our sample Chaudry.” The soldiers took the writhing zombie into another room and obediently the small doctor followed.

“Neeti! Don’t do this, please!” Reid shouted in between spits of blood, but at the sound of his voice she hurried along.

“You think the world owes you. The great Dr. Oliver! What do you know? Where do your loyalties lie, doctor? Not with your country, you’ve made that abundantly clear.” Channing said, walking over to tower over Reid.

“Not to you!”

“No of course not, I am a hack in your eyes. Correct?”

“More like a blemish on the world’s ass.”

Channing was visibly shaking now. Rubbing a hand roughly against gruff stubble, he grossly spit, “To whom then? Young boys?”

Reid just laughed. “You’re one to talk about taking advantage of people. Look what you’ve done to Neeti. She’s a leading researcher in artificial organ technology. In the span of a month you have her polishing test tubes, and I do mean that as a euphemism for sucking your dick!” Channing raised the M16.

“I haven’t done anything to her that she hasn’t wanted herself.”

“Really? She wants to stand around and watch as you willfully infect people?”

“They die so that others may live! If we could find resistant antibodies we could inoculate future generations, we could stop this.”

“You ask me where my loyalties lie." Ried, said weakly. "Where yours should. With the people you swore to protect. What may have started as a legitimate search for the cure has devolved into a pissing match! Why do you think I left? Maybe if you weren’t preoccupied with getting to an answer before me maybe this facility would have accomplished something. You’ve thrown it all away and for what?”

Channing exploded. “It’s not about you Reid! Not everything is about you!” His frustrated breathing filled the room as Reid scoffed but didn’t respond.

“That you walked back to me is a bonus. Him, on the other hand.” He said pointing at Luke. But when he turned his attention to the man he exclaimed, “Wait; what are you doing?”

Luke had hoped Reid would continue to take up the doctor’s attention, and he had backed away into a shadow trying to contact William. Losing all subtlety he began shouting, “William we’re trapped on the tenth floor of the hospital-” But the soldier tackled him to the ground before he could finish.

The yellow walkie-talkie slid out of his grasp clattering onto the floor, with only static coming through. Channing handled the M16 with an awkward flourish and unloaded bullets into it. It was of little comfort to Luke that Channing was a terrible shot, because it only took one bullet to make the device useless.

“Tie him up.” Channing said.

Luke didn't struggle, there wasn't much fight left in him. The soldier that had led the struggling zombie into the other room emerged with an extension cord and soon Luke was sitting next to Reid in a similar position.

“As I was saying,” Channing continued. “I was hoping you two had stuck together, but I didn’t want you Reid. Luke’s blood is different and possibly the key to this whole mess. Whatever immunity he holds I will extract and save the world. You, on the other hand, are just going to be a great specimen to watch turn.” He said walking away.

“Keep an eye on them.” He said menacingly. “I want to see what’s taking Chaudry so long.” 

In the face of such hopelessness Luke furiously began to cry.

“He’s going to infect us?” Luke sobbed, slumping over in defeat. “This is how I’m going to die?”

Reid was silent for a second, but answered the young man’s question in his own time. “Possibly. If he is incorrect in his assumptions.” He sounded so clinical and stoic, but Luke could not be like the doctor. His hope ran as deep as his heart did.

“So my blood is different?” Luke said.

“I haven’t done any analysis so I can’t be sure.” Reid grunted, as he wiggled awkwardly against the cord. His eyes were far away. He was clearly concentrating on whatever he was doing, so Luke felt the tears run faster.

“I don’t want to die!” He shouted trying to break Reid. He wanted an emotion other than complete apathy. “I should have just ignored you! I should have just gone after Noah. I promised.” He sobbed angrily, and pounded the wall with his head.

Reid groaned, unconcerned with Luke’s sobs. “I should have upped that sedative I gave you. I can’t trust you to actually listen to me...” He said.

Luke exclaimed , cutting him short. “You blame me for not listening to you? You drugged me! You fucking asshole! You drugged me and left me to those monsters.” He didn’t know why he was using the last bit of his time on earth to argue with Reid, but what else did they have. A shared kiss on the side of the road was just another mistake to add to his list. But Reid exclaimed suddenly.

“I was trying to protect you from this exact situation!"

“I never asked for your protection. I never asked you to save me, or to heal me. I don’t want to be healed, least of all by a person like you!” His words, he hoped, were as acidic as they felt on his tongue, burning at the back of his throat, slowly making his whole body go numb. If he could numb himself against what was to come it would all be much easier.

“You called for me.” Reid said. “Standing like a speck of dust on the sun and making me squint to even see you. Small and dying on the asphalt. This whole time you’ve wanted me to give you something. If not to heal you than what?”Luke didn’t answer, even when he wanted to scream insults he couldn’t. Without an answer Reid continued.

“I thought that’s all I was good for. I’m supposed to heal the sick, the tired, the hurt and the dying. What I’ve come to realize is that I’m not even good for that. If it’s worth anything, I love you. For all your whining, and all your smiles, and even for using me as a seat-filler, a part of me fucking broke for you. Thanks for giving even a glance in my direction. I’m sorry I couldn’t do more for you.” The regret in the man’s voice was crushing Luke almost as much as his own.

Screams echoed in the hallway, followed by shooting. The soldier watching the hostages hesitated, but didn’t need to move a muscle. Channing came back into the hall something emerging after him faster than he could escape. A figure all but flew across the long distance crushing him into the ground. Immediately it flailed slashing with arms still trapped within a loosening straight jacket.

“Get it off me!” He screamed.

But the soldiers didn’t shoot right away. The fabric, that restrained the damage from the thing’s hands, was slowly tearing. One of the soldiers had lowered his gaze with a stern look, while the other one that had been left with the task to look over the hostages franticly tried to find a way to shoot without hurting the doctor. The last soldier wasn’t there.

“What are you waiting for? Help me you useless jarheads, that’s an order!”

The creature was stronger than any zombie Luke had seen before. Luke noticed Channing could not even throw it off balance enough to give the soldiers a clear shot. The frantic soldier got closer, and began shooting it, but it just seemed to anger the monster more. It bent back and flung itself at the soldier with amazing strength ignoring the continuing shots. It finally freed it’s arms from the restraints and ripped through a flak jacket like digging into soft flesh.

Finally the other soldier moved. He expertly shot round after round into the monster but it just kept going. Gurgles of blood bubbled into the screams that filled the room, and when the soldier was down to using the end of his gun as a weapon finally the zombie collapsed onto its side dead like his prey. The doctor still sat in the middle of the room, his clothes torn, but fine. He shakily stood for a second his eyes trying to focus before lunging at something.

“Neeti!” His scream was followed by Neeti’s as he fell on top of her. Channing closed his hands over her throat. The last remaining soldier shot Channing in the shoulder, causing him to roll away from her. Channing returned fire with Luke’s automatic. The soldier tried to take cover, but was clipped, and he collapsed in a pile holding his bleeding leg.

“You all have a death wish!” Channing yelled. He ran over and kicked the man’s gun across the room, before he could recover. He now had both of Luke’s weapons dangerously waving them around. “I’m offering you all salvation, and you’re crying over semantics!”

Reid rose quickly before Luke could do anything to try and stop him. He fell on his side struggling to free himself, and watching in horror as Reid approached the seething doctor.

“Semantics!” Reid roared, and teetered, his balance off set by his arms bound to his side. “My life; his life; people’s lives are semantics to you?” Channing aimed the gun at him, and it was shaking from rage.

“Sacrifices must be made to save all of our lives.”

“You don’t get to choose who to sacrifice to appease your entitlement.”

“And you do? The great Reid Oliver has spoken and so it must be done! No. I’m standing up to you, like someone should have done a long time ago. And I’m going to put you in your place.” Channing put the pistol to Reid’s head, and Luke quickly blinked trying to remove the tears from his eyes.

Reid’s arm slipped out of loosened cord, and tore the gun away before Channing had the dexterity to respond. In a quick second they were both at arm’s length with a weapon in their hands. This would decide the fate of them all. Channing was shaking enough to make his aim waiver even as his white knuckled grip on Reid’s M16 tried to keep it steady.

Reid was calm, his voice gruff. “Shoot me Charles.”

“Reid!”

“Shut up, Mr. Snyder.” Luke felt the words crash back down his throat at the command.

“Why don’t you do it?” Reid said.

“Because you deserve to die in a much more painful way. This is too merciful.”

“You’d be lost without me, Charles. Without someone to compete with or someone to give you their scraps. You are nothing but a bottom feeder!” Reid lowered the gun to his side as Channing dug the M16’s barrel into his chest and over his heart. “You can’t do it. That’s why I’m a renowned neurosurgeon and you-”

Channing screamed and pulled the trigger, but the gun just clicked; empty. Reid laughed. Channing dove for the pistol, but a shot rang out stopping him in his tracks. He collapsed forward and Reid caught him, the pistol forgotten and on the floor. William stalked towards them from the hallway.

“Are you guys ok?” He said.

Reid just grumbled, “I just asked for one thing,” as William hurried to go untie Luke, and check on the wounded soldier while Neeti and Reid cradled a dying Charles Channing.

“Both of you will burn in hell,” He coughed, blood spilling out of his mouth. Neeti tried to wipe away the blood away, but Charles weakly swatted her hand away. “I loved you. Backstabbing-”

“I’ll always love you, Charles.”

“Bitch,” He choked out making Chaudry choke on her tears.

“Bastard,” Reid spoke without much bite behind it letting Chaudry pull the doctor away from him and into a loving embrace. Behind the woman’s dark hair Channing continued to speak, even as his breathing became labored.

“You’ll win Reid. Forever your name will go down in history as the man who found the cure.”

“If I do figure it out it won’t be to spite you, you pretentious asshole.”

“Time is running out. This was the fastest way to get to an answer before... before. If the mutations become prevalent… they… they will aggressively take over,” He sighed curling finally into the woman’s touch. Softer, and seemingly far gone, he touched Neeti’s face, “I’ll see you soon. I’ll see you all very soon,” And with that ominous statement he closed his eyes as if to go to sleep one last time.

Neeti tried to keep him awake. She kept shaking him.

“Neeti,” Reid whispered placing a hand on her shoulder in an uncharacteristically comforting way.

“No, Reid! This is our fault! We should have been able to talk to him. I should have been able to... save him.”

“He’s dead, Neeti! Good riddance.” Reid rebuffed, angrily wiping blood from his hands onto his clothes. Neeti eyed him dangerously.

“You are a monster!” She yelled.

Reid growled, “Shut up, would you. We get it. You were in love with him. I’ve been severely beaten so forgive me for not having sympathy for the devil?”

“Just leave, like you did before. Just get out of my life.”

Reid forcefully got up and did as she asked. William and Luke ran to catch up to him. With a final glimpse back Luke wathced the wounded soldier inch his way to Chaudry, softly consoling her. Another helpless victim. He jogged to catch up to the men who had burst into the stairwell bickering.

He caught the end of William’s sentence, “happened? You look like shit.”

“I asked for one thing Bill. Get him the hell out of here.”

“My family was my first priority, Dr. Oliver. My son-in-law was hurt and I needed to take care of him before going after a stubborn man like Luke.”

Reid stumbled going down the steps, collapsing into a heap on the landing. Luke jumped the rest of the way, crashing into the ground beside Reid.

“Are you alright,” He gripped the man’s shoulders, trying to pull him into a sitting position.

“I might have a concussion,” He slurred, “Or I could have simply missed that last step, my eyesight has slowly been deteriorating.”

“Can you stand?” He questioned worriedly.

“Just don’t let me fall asleep.” Reid mumbled as he struggled to rise. William grabbed his other arm and they helped him down to the lobby.

“I’ll see how that woman is doing." Bill said, ducking out from under Reid's arm. "Then we can go to where my daughter is. We’ll watch over you for tonight, it’s the least I can do after what you did to help me.” William left Luke panting on the first floor with the task of keeping Reid lucid when he had no idea what to even say to the man. Not after what had just happened.

“Reid? Do you know where you are?”

“What a stupid question,” He mumbled his grip around Luke’s shoulders slipping.

“Where are you?”

“I’m in Channing’s death trap.”

“How old are you?”

“Forty years old.”

“Stay with me.” Luke repositioned the doctor as he fell onto the floor. Then he gripped his face, gently trying to get him to respond, while avoiding the obvious giant bruised areas. “Don’t fall asleep.”

“Maybe if you asked me more questions...” Reid was straining to get words out by now and Luke was genuinely scared. Afraid he might just slip away, like Channing had.

“What is five thousand three hundred sixty-five times three.” Reid’s head dropped, and Luke resisted the urge to just slap or shake the man, not wanting to cause him any more pain. “Please Reid, don’t fall asleep.” He whispered. A couple horrible minutes went by without so much as a sound. Luke was ready to smack the man awake, but Reid’s head wobbled back up.

“I think it’s somewhere in the ten thousand range.”

“What?”

“I like seeing things on paper. Ask me more about science.” Luke was completely blank, not enjoying being put on the spot like this. The man was a neurosurgeon.

“What’s the brain like?” Luke asked, and Reid lifted his head. His hand reached out, but missed whatever he was reaching for. He took Reid's hand, and the doctor awkwardly found his temple.

“Frontal lobe,” He moved his hand along Luke’s scalp his fingers gently prodding as he went along, feeling his way across Luke’s skull. “Parietal lobe, Occipital lobe, Cerebellum and back here is the Medulla oblongata.” Reid’s hand lingered at the base of Luke’s skull. “Instant death with the right type of blow. Reminds you just how fragile this important piece of machinery is. Grey spaghetti that is quite unappetizing.” Luke laughed, and the doctor looked like he was smiling, the darkness masking all but Reid’s gleaming eye, the other still bruised shut. “It’s a series of electrical ports connecting and disconnecting to create instincts, memories, feelings and even that damn voice in the back of your head that tells you to do things against all good reason.”

“Did that voice tell you to say you loved me?” Luke’s own voice blurted out, before he could stop himself, and Reid stayed quiet. His hand slipped from Luke’s shoulder back to his side, and his voice adopted a stern timber.

“No, Mr. Snyder that was me. My voice was telling me not to tell you.” The door to the stairwell opened and William came through helping the wounded soldier hobble along. A somber Neeti followed. William handed him a gun, and they made their way to a safe haven, Reid’s words weighing Luke’s every step.

The streets had surprisingly calmed. The few stragglers they encountered where taken care of with blunt instruments, to avoid using their guns, and attracting unwanted attention.

When they finally reached the shelter most decided they had seen enough for one day and found a place to curl up among other survivors. Reid told Luke to sleep, assuring him he would be fine with William as a conversation buddy. Luke hadn’t even been sure how tired he was until his head hit the rolls of moldy clothes and food sacks that had come together to make an awful bed. He slept undisturbed by memories or nightmares that had been overwhelming right after the virus had struck, he now slept in darkness. And he was grateful. The last thing he needed was his memories sneaking up on him when he had so much to think about already.

He couldn’t bear to think about how disjointed and different the future had become, from just a week ago. A week ago he and Noah were together in the future and that’s all that mattered. He didn't know when or where, because all he could see was a gleaming smile and piercing blue eyes. That had eclipsed everything else.

Now he was so very frightened of what he might find and Luke blamed it all on Dr. Oliver. He had shattered Luke’s perfect dream.


	6. Chapter 6

Luke woke up disoriented. The room was pitch black even though he knew he had slept for a long time. Moving in the dark he winced at his sore muscles, and bruises from the night before. The very thought of what had happened was enough to make him throw his head in between some foul smelling clothes he had been using as a pillow.

He fought against the pain and against the memories to crawl around searching for anything that might signal a way out of the room. He didn’t remember getting to that spot on the ground or even where he was. Groping along walls and shelves he found a door handle and pulled. The door was much larger then he had anticipated and he fell back as a blinding light flooded the room. He rushed to cover his stinging eyes, but someone was at his side now, and for a split second he was ready to attack.

“Finally you’re up.” Bill’s wizened voice said. Luke was glad he hadn’t struck him. He wasn’t sure the man would allow it a second time.

“What time is it?” He asked, squinting through the white light. As his eyes began to adjust he could see a chrome bright kitchen around him. He took William’s hand and stood.

“Two or three in the afternoon.” Bill said.

“God,” Luke exclaimed, rubbing at his dirty face.

As they walked through the giant, industrialized kitchen he looked back to see he had been sleeping in the enormous walk in freezer. Leaving the warmth of the closed room he pulled his own smelly jacket closer to himself. William directed him out but returned to the kitchen to continue chopping something at a counter. Luke walked out through double doors that opened up into a dining room area. Large windows looked out into the city and drowned the dining hall with afternoon light that had been enough to penetrate even into the kitchen. He shielded his eyes as his pupils contracted painfully.

“Mr. Snyder,” Someone said cheerfully. He squinted as he made his way around tables, and scattered chairs to whoever was calling him. Finally his eyes adjusted enough for him to see a large table with a group of people sitting around it. He had to blink multiple times to see if the light was playing tricks with him. Rubbing his eyes as if they were intentionally showing him something ridiculous he approached the table.

Neeti was looking bewildered as Reid had his arm around her smiling graciously and demanding Luke sit on his other side. The scene was both comical and disturbing. Luke cautiously sat across from Reid and next to the soldier from last night. He grimly took in the situation. It was one thing to see a genuinely happy Reid Oliver, it was quite another to see a genuinely happy Reid Oliver who had also gone through torture, and an attempted murder just twelve hours prior. 

“You’re up?” Reid hollered across the small table. His face was still swollen and masked by blacked out skin making any smiling look eerie.

“Yeah,” Luke replied awkwardly, as he shared worried glances with the other people at the table. Sara had her arms around her bandaged husband, huddled close together, both looking annoyed.

“I’ve been meaning to wake you up but Bill kept saying to let everyone get as much sleep as they needed, so I’ve just been sitting here waiting until people got up. First was Neeti! Right?” He shook the woman who looked even more uncomfortable. Even if he had been looking for a response he was talking too fast to wait for one and went on.

“She hasn’t spoken since last night so I did all the talking. I’ve actually been doing most of the talking all morning even after Sara and Johnny joined us!”

“Don’t call me Johnny.” The man intoned somewhat under his breath.

“I’m sorry Johnny, I mean John!” He slapped his face, “I can’t help it you look like a spoiled child so I can’t help but call you Johnny.” John angrily scraped the chair legs against the floor making a nasty sound as he stalked back to the kitchen. Luke would have said something if he could find any trace of his voice. Sara turned to him hoping to find someone sane.

“How did you sleep, sweetie?” She asked. Luke shrugged, and nodded trying to articulate anything other than an exclamation of bewilderment but Reid interjected, “Yes, Mr. Snyder how did you sleep? I didn’t sleep at all, and I don’t feel tired in the slightest. It’s remarkable actually. Although I shouldn’t be surprised I am a doctor after all. I am a world renowned neurosurgeon, who specializes in brains as you all should know.”

“Yes!” Sara squeaked, “You’ve said it like fifty times!” Reid looked as surprised as his busted brows could muster and quietly looked down at his hands. He started drumming quickly entranced by his own fingers. Sara sighed running a hand up her neck.

“He’s been like this all day.”

“What’s uh,” Luke shook his head, “Is he…” He didn’t finish because he didn’t think he had to. He really didn’t need to ask the question. His suspicions had been hanging by a thread anyway.

“Dad says he didn’t think he would be so animated so he didn’t stop him from taking some pills. Plus he’s a doctor he would know about these,” They turned to see Reid laughing softly to himself and Sara continued a little softer, “side effects.” Sara stood as her father and husband reemerged from the kitchen carrying platters. She helped them serve and awkwardly they tried to ignore Reid. Reid wasn’t eating and Luke was even more worried.

Luke was starving, not having eating since the morning before last, but Reid was just pushing his food around.

After finishing up he wiped his mouth off and pushed his plate away which didn’t leave anything left to distract him from Reid’s sudden silence.

“Reid,” The man’s gaze languidly focused somewhere behind Luke. “Shouldn’t you eat something?”

“I’m not hungry.” He said and pushed away from the table. He stumbled his way to the kitchen. Luke looked back at his companions who suddenly found their half finished plates very fascinating. Luke didn’t appreciate their total lack of concern. He fiercely moved his chair making that awful scraping noise once more. A few steps away he heard Neeti’s small voice.

“He took them to stay awake. They keep you lucid but reduce your appetite. He should be coming down from the high now so get him somewhere comfortable. He’ll fall asleep and wake up hungry. He should be fine.” Luke nodded taking the new information in with not so much as a glance back.

The kitchen was darker than the dining hall, and he wasn’t sure where the doctor had gone. He looked in the freezer and around the kitchen but just found the beddings the others had used. He curiously went towards another set of double doors at the other end of the kitchen. These led to a smaller dining hall that divvied up into private rooms for high paying customers. It was darker in here, with the only windows covered by tightly closed shutters. He called softly for the other man, and got a not so coherent response in a room half way down the hall. This room had bean bags around a coffee table instead of a normal set up. Reid’s body was slumped over three large bags face down and groaning somewhat softly.

“Are you ok?”

“I might be coming back to my senses,” He made that weird laughing sound like before. “I feel so light headed.”

“Are you sure you’re not hungry?”

“I’ll be fine, Mr. Snyder.” Luke turned to go away but something tugged him back into the room.

“Why are you suddenly calling me by my last name again?” He asked. Reid shifted into a sitting position, sinking into the beanie material.

“Is there a difference? They’re both names you go by. Does it matter which one I use?” Luke could just make out the man’s form, the light trying to get in through the blinds not enough to illuminate his face. Luke swallowed a lump in his throat.

“No, I guess not.” He said after a pause, but he really didn’t want to drop the subject. Taking a couple tentative steps into the room he continued, “Is there a reason why you’re suddenly so formal?” Reid’s head lagged back, as he sighed.

“What are you really trying to ask me, Mr. Snyder?” He punctuated the name, and Luke finally made it to the bean bags where he slumped next to Reid.

“What should we be to each other, Reid?”

“That’s much better. I don’t like these little children’s games.” Reid said, pulling Luke into his own bean bag, and moving over to make room. Luke dug his arm into the material to grasp the doctor by the waist, resting his head in the crook of Reid’s neck. They both needed showers, the blood still crusty on Reid’s skin and the smell of whatever was rotting in the freezer clinging to Luke’s. But he still snuggled into Reid’s chest, searching for comfort. Reid caressed his face, pulling the long blond locks out of his eyes while the other hand rested on his side, able to count Luke’s ribs if he wanted to. Luke could feel the shallow breathing of what he hoped was contentment as Reid spoke.

“I don’t know what we should be. I have no idea what I should even do now.”

“Would you consider going to Texas with me?” Luke thought maybe the doctor would pull away, but he just took a stronger hold on Luke.

“Might as well. After leaving Channing I was originally going to go to Dallas.”

Luke raised his head a little smiling when he should be angry at the doctor for having protested so much.

“It’s a sign.” The doctor huffed, but Luke said. “I prayed for a sign and here it is.”

“It’s a coincidence, one that existed well before you prayed for it.”

“Either way…” Luke let himself sink farther into the other man.

“You’re going to make me into a drug addict with all your annoying optimism.” Reid exhaled sharply as Luke playfully hit him in the abdomen.

“Don’t ever take those again. You were smiling, and it was creepy.”

“I smile.”

“Not like that, and not when your face looks like raw meat.”

“So you don’t like me for my attitude, or my looks. What is it you do like about me?” He could feel the silence draw out in an awkwardly, but Luke really couldn’t find the words to describe Reid.

“Don’t insult me now, Mr. Snyder.” Reid exclaimed. Luke tightened his hold as the words flowed from somewhere in the back of his mind, into a hushed whisper.

“You’re nothing like Noah.” He said, and he felt Reid shift to look down at him, but he ducked his head down feeling a weight in his chest not allowing him to breath.

Reid shuffled back into the bean bag, and said, “I guess I’ll take that as a compliment.” Luke couldn’t help but smile a little, a tear beginning to tread down his cheek.

“I… You know…” Reid tried to begin but Luke hushed him.

“Go to sleep Dr. Oliver. I don’t want to talk about it.” He said.

Reid tilted his head to rest on Luke’s and he kissed the golden bangs.

His breathing soon changed. He was sleeping and softly snoring. Luke softly moved enough to pull something from his pocket.

When the soldier had tackled him he had felt the phone painfully crack against his hip. His first thought was to take it out, to hold it, and wish for a miracle, but they had tied his hands securely.

And then he had forgotten about it.

He didn’t think it was possible. After months of always having it at the forefront of his mind he had forgotten. It was his connection to the past, to his love, and he had just forgotten. Now that his mind had gone back to Noah he was afraid. It was an irrational fear. He flicked the phone open like it could blow up in his hand and stared at it transfixed and feeling his heart begin to pick up speed. The screen had cracked. Angry lines tore through the wallpaper leaving the picture that had been there before unrecognizable to anyone other than Luke. An irrational fear made him hold the end button turning the thing off. He shut it and gently returned it to his pocket.


End file.
